Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted the Democrat vice presidential nomination on Wednesday night at the party’s national convention in Chicago, giving the country a closer look at a politician few outside of the North Star State knew much of before Kamala Harris tapped him as her running mate.

“First of all, to Vice President Harris,” Walz said. “Thanks for putting your trust in me and for inviting me to be part of this incredible campaign. And a thank you to President Joe Biden for four years of strong, historic leadership.

“It’s the honor of my life to accept your nomination for vice president of the United States.”

Harris’ campaign has tried to paint the 60-year-old governor as a folksy “Midwest dad,” but he has come under fire from many for claims he has made about his military record.

Walz, who served in the Army National Guard for 24 years before retiring in 2005 to run for Congress, has said he retired as a command sergeant major. But the Minnesota National Guard reportedly said he retired as a master sergeant because he did not complete additional coursework at the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy.

Walz also has been criticized for retiring after his National Guard unit was told it would be deployed to Iraq and for saying her served in combat when he did not.

He took to the stage after speeches by former President Bill Clinton; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg; former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; and Oprah Winfrey. His speech aired live on Newsmax and simulcast on the Newsmax2 online streaming platform.

Walz mentioned growing up in a samll town in Nebraska and took a vieled swipe and his Republican counterpart, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, who grew up in a small town in Ohio before going to Ohio State University and on to Yale.

“I grew up in Butte, Nebraska, a town of 400 people,” he said. “I had 24 kids in my high school class, and none of them went to Yale. But I’ll tell you what. Growing up in a small town like that, you learn how to take care of each other. That family down the road, they may not think like you do. They may not pray like you do. They may not love like you do. But they’re your neighbors, and you look out for them and they look out for you. Everybody belongs.”