Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s vibe has been defined by the internet as “Midwestern dad,” but Minnesotans know their governor as something more specific: a “Minnesota Lutheran” dad.

If elected alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, who herself is Baptist, he could be the first — or second — Lutheran vice president.

It just depends on how you count it.

Although Walz has not often spoken publicly about his religion, he did refer to Pilgrim Lutheran Church in St. Paul as his parish in 2020. Earlier that year, Walz shared a Facebook post thanking the church for an Ash Wednesday service.

More recently, Walz cracked a joke about his religious identity during a 2024 legislative conference.

“Because we’re good Minnesota Lutherans, we have a rule: If you do something good and talk about it, it no longer counts,” Walz said.

The only other vice president with Lutheran ties was Hubert Humphrey, who served alongside Lyndon B. Johnson from 1965 to 1969. Humphrey’s mother was Lutheran, but he was baptized into the Methodist church as a boy alongside his father.

The Lutheran faith is a branch of Christianity that stems from the teachings of Martin Luther, the German theologian known for reforming the Christian church in the 16th century. There are over 40 Lutheran denominations active in North America.

Walz’s parish is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — one of the largest Christian denominations in the U.S. It reports having 3.3 million members across the country.

A Pew Research Religious Landscape Study found 47% of members of the ELCA identify as or lean Democrat, while 43% identify as or lean Republican. Ten percent of respondents identified with neither. Within the context of American evangelism, the ELCA leans more liberal, as evidenced by their social statements.

And if Harris and Walz win in November, the ticket would break more religious grounds, too: Doug Emhoff, who is married to Harris, would become the first Jewish spouse of a U.S. president.

But it remains to be seen what effect faith will have on the election. A 2023 Pew Research poll found 57% of U.S. adults said it’s “not too important” or “not at all important” that politicians share their religion, with 24% calling it “somewhat important” and 18% saying it is “extremely” or “very” important.

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