Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will formally accept the vice presidential nomination and deliver a keynote address at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday.

Vice President Kamala Harris selected Walz to be her running mate earlier this month, just a couple weeks after she became the presumed Democratic nominee following President Joe Biden's withdrawal.

Walz, 60, gained recognition during the vice presidential selection process with his folksy demeanor and viral statements advocating for the Democratic Party's agenda and criticizing former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance. But nationally, he was a relatively unknown figure.

"I had no idea who this man was when Harris announced that Tim Walz was running for vice president," said Valerie Jencks, a moderate Democrat from Illinois who supports the Harris-Walz ticket.

Jencks and other local voters sat down with
at Chicago's Green Door Tavern to discuss the 2024 election .

Jencks stated that she was "personally relieved" that Illinois Governor JB Pritzker was not chosen because she prefers him to remain in his current role leading the state, and expressed her strong support for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in the vice presidential race.

Still, she said she thought Walz was "a breath of fresh air."

"He is well-informed about the issues. He has a very strong track record, and he's very personable and genuine," Jencks said of Walz. "I feel like he truly understands the concerns of ordinary Americans."

Last month, Trump announced Vance as his running mate during the first day of the Republican National Convention.

Vance, a 39-year-old first-term senator from Ohio, has emerged as a strong ideological ally of the former president, who gained notoriety for his memoir "Hillbilly Elegy." However, he was not a prominent figure in politics until he began to emerge as a leading contender to join Trump on the ballot.

David Spada, a conservative Republican, expressed surprise at Trump's selection, stating that he had anticipated a more moderate Republican, such as Florida Senator Marco Rubio .

"Perhaps he should have chosen someone closer to the center, rather than someone more on the right, which I believe could hinder him," Spada remarked. "But then again, you never know what Trump will do. He does whatever he wants."

A recent
poll found Walz was getting a more positive public reception than his Republican counterpart in the initial rollout of their candidacies.

A survey revealed that 39% of Americans had a positive opinion of Walz, while 30% viewed him negatively. Vance, on the other hand, was seen unfavorably by 42% of respondents, compared to 32% who held a favorable view. Notably, a significant portion of respondents expressed no opinion on either candidate (31% for Walz and 26% for Vance).