Tim Walz’s 1995 DUI arrest resurfaces: ‘It was a gut-check moment’
- Waltz arrested for DUI in 1995 after driving 96 mph in 50 mph zone
- 'It was a gut-check moment,' said Walz, who became sober afterward
- Arrest continued to resurface throughout Walz's career
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appears with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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(NewsNation) — Since Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election, supporters of former President Donald Trump have shared details of Walz’s decades-old drunken driving arrest.
However, Walz has used the nearly 30-year-old DUI as a lesson learned and an opportunity to become sober.
1995 drunk driving charge
On Sept. 23, 1995, a 31-year-old Walz was pulled over by a Nebraska state trooper for driving 96 mph in a 55 mph zone, according to court documents posted obtained by Alpha News, a conservative site based in Minnesota. He was driving home from watching college football with some friends that night.
“A strong odor of alcoholic beverage was detected emitting from Mr. Walz(‘s) breath and person,” the trooper wrote in his report.
Walz failed a sobriety test and was arrested. He had a blood alcohol concentration of .128, according to court documents.
He was initially charged with speeding and driving while intoxicated, but the charges were reduced to reckless driving in a plea deal.
‘It was a gut-check moment’: Walz
Walz described the incident as a “gut-check moment,” in a 2018 Minneapolis Star Tribune interview.
His wife, Gwen, told the outlet that following the arrest she told him he was now married, had obligations, and couldn’t make “dumb choices.”
Walz’s license was suspended for 90 days, and though he offered to resign from his teaching job at Alliance High School, the principal persuaded him not to, according to court documents.
The arrest continues to resurface
Since his arrest, Walz has served with the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, won six congressional races, and was elected to two terms as governor of Minnesota, Time reports.
However, the incident has resurfaced periodically throughout Walz’s career.
Recently, critics have shared posts on social media about the arrest, along with his mug shot and the arresting officer’s affidavit, labeling him a criminal who is unfit to serve, The New York Times reports.
The incident also reemerged during his first run for Congress in 2006, prompting his campaign manager to dismiss the charge and attributing the misunderstanding to Walz’s deafness.
Defenders argue that the offense is minor, noting that former President George W. Bush had a similar arrest when he ran for office in 2000 and that Minnesota Republican Rep. Tom Emmer was arrested twice for suspected drunk driving when he was 30.
