He may not be a lofty orator, but he has shown an ability to deliver punchy critiques with Everyman appeal.

Before he was known to the nation as an affable Midwestern dad and a vice-presidential nominee, Tim Walz was a fast-talking political long shot in an ill-fitting suit, spoiling, in his Minnesotan way, for a debate-stage fight.

As he stood next to his opponent — a crisply dressed six-term Republican congressman — Mr. Walz, a teacher by training, offered viewers a stark contrast at that 2006 debate, hosted by KSMQ-TV. Mr. Walz cast their choice as one between a political insider focused on “moving up in elected office” and the alternative he said he represented: “I live in the world that most of you live in.”

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Mr. Walz sparred with Gil Gutknecht, then the Republican incumbent, in a 2006 congressional debate.

I don’t have the luxury of being partisan. I don’t have the luxury of being rigid. What we need in education, what we need in the military and what we need when I’m fostering cultural exchanges with China, is real solutions. And I live in the world that most of you live in.

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0:13Mr. Walz sparred with Gil Gutknecht, then the Republican incumbent, in a 2006 congressional debate.CreditCredit…KSMQ-TV, via C-SPAN

Nearly two decades later, Mr. Walz is the one who has moved up in elected office, rising from congressman to governor and now, Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate. He is set to face Senator JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate, in a high-profile debate on Tuesday.

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