Why Are Tim Walz's Critics Calling Him 'Tampon Tim'?

Republicans' new nickname for the Democratic vice presidential candidate stems from a Minnesota education bill that Walz signed into law in 2023

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's critics have a new nickname they're trying to attach to the presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee — and it's one that his supporters don't seem to mind.

Republicans and Donald Trump loyalists have begun calling Walz — who was just selected as Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate — "Tampon Tim" in a nod to a bill he signed into law last year, which (among other things) mandates that Minnesota schools provide menstrual products like pads and tampons to 4th-12th grade students.

Trump allies have been attempting to criticize Walz for the measure. Former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, for instance, posted on X that Harris “actually chose Tampon Tim" to be her running mate. Others have claimed the nickname is "perfect" because it demonstrates Walz's "dangerous radicalism.”

In an X post, former Fox News personality Megyn Kelly endorsed the nickname, suggesting that it will be the one that sticks. "Tampon Tim is the name. That's it," she wrote on Aug. 7.

Related: Tim Walz and His Wife, Gwen, Open Up About Son's Non-Verbal Learning Disorder: 'His Secret Power' (Exclusive)

Some Democrats, in response, have been quick to embrace the nickname, arguing that "Tampon Tim" isn't quite the burn it's meant to be — and that it draws attention to a law that's meant to be an asset to young Minnesotans.

Proponents of the measure say it allows young girls access to free period products when they likely need them most — during school, when they don't have access to their own supplies, may feel embarrassed to speak to an administrator or teacher, and can't easily get to a drugstore.

Supporters also argue that it isn't a major expense to taxpayers, with the state of Minnesota paying roughly $2 per pupil to keep the supplies stocked during the school year, according to NPR.

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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighed in on Republican efforts to criticize Walz for his support of the measure, writing on X, "How nice of the Trump camp to help publicize Gov. Tim Walz's compassionate and common-sense policy of providing free menstrual products to students in Minnesota public schools! Let's do this everywhere."

While Republicans are criticizing Walz now, many have backed similar measures in the past — including Trump himself, whom NPR points out once signed a 2018 measure that requires federal prisons to provide period supplies to inmates.

Despite right-wing claims that Walz "put tampons in boys' bathrooms," the law that he signed does not specify which bathrooms the free pads and tampons go in — only that they be made available to all students who menstruate.

Related: Tim Walz Joins Kamala Harris on Stage Hours After He’s Named Her 2024 Running Mate

Walz made his first appearance with Harris on Tuesday, Aug. 6 at Philadelphia's Temple University, at a stop that kicked off a five-day tour of seven battleground states.

Walz, a veteran and former educator, turned to politics in 2006 when he successfully ran for U.S. Congress as a Democrat in a historically Republican district, becoming the highest-ranking enlisted man to serve in Congress.

After 12 years in the House, during which he became the top Democrat on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Walz soundly won the 2018 Minnesota gubernatorial race. He was reelected in 2022.

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