Gov. Tim Walz addresses Youth Council at the DNC, says young voters will be critical to win the elections

Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made a surprise appearance at a Youth Council meeting during the second day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, recalling his time as a public school teacher and telling young voters that their ballots will be decisive ahead of the November elections.

"I'm grateful for a country that gave me the opportunity to have a great public school education," Walz told the audience. "We are the party of freedom, we are the party that gets things done."

Walz continued to make reference to experience in the public school system, a key component of the campaign, arguing that his role as a student, teacher and coach makes him understand the issues most important to young people. By contrast, Democrats are trying to drive the narrative that the Trump-Vance ticket fails to hit the mark with these voters for their connections to Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

Young voters have been a key demographic for Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz as they embark on their marathon to win the White House after President Biden dropped out of the race in July.

This electorate has not been shy to broadcast their support for Harris and Walz, creating viral TikTok trends and memes that include Harris' analogy of the "coconut tree" and allusions to Charli XCX's album "brat."

Walz's remarks were given after he was interrupted by a handful of pro-Palestinian protesters as he addressed the Women's Caucus earlier on Tuesday.

The demonstrators from Code Pink chanted "stop killing women in Gaza" and wielded banners that said "Kamala: No weapons to Israel" and "arms embargo now." The Governor did not address the protesters, and the audience drowned out the protests by chanting "USA."

Meanwhile, as the convention's festivities continue, it seems Harris and Walz will be absent from Tuesday night's events, as they will be holding a campaign rally in Milwaukee, where the Republican National Convention was held about a month ago.

Walz was ceremonially certified Monday at the DNC and he is expected to address delegates and the country on Wednesday. Harris will formally accept her party's nomination on Thursday.