Lynne Walz

Walz was born in Fremont, Nebraska and graduated from Arlington High School in 1981.^[3] She then went on to Midland Lutheran College to earn a B.A. in elementary education in 1994. She married her husband in 1986 and now has 3 children and 4 grandchildren.^[3] She is a distant cousin of Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic nominee for Vice President Tim Walz.^[4]

Walz is a former teacher and worked for Fremont Public Schools and Archbishop Bergan High School. She is a current realtor at Don Peterson and Associates.^[3] Before entering the state legislature, Walz was on the Fremont Bergan School Board and served as the president of Fremont Board of Realtors.

Walz was first elected to the state legislature in 2016, defeating incumbent David Schnoor with 51% of the vote. She was chosen as the running mate (Lieutenant Governor) of fellow State Senator Bob Krist in his 2018 campaign for Governor.^[5] The Krist-Walz ticket lost the election receiving 41% of votes.^[6] Walz won reelection on November 3, 2020, against David Rogers with 59.6% of the votes.^[7] Walz was term limited in 2025.

At the beginning of the 2017 Legislative Session, Walz sat on the Education and Natural Resources Committees. From 2019 until 2025, she sat on both the Health and Human Services and Education Committee.^[8]

In 2021, she ran for Education Chair and won against incumbent Senator Mike Groene. Chairs are elected through a secret ballot and the final vote was 25–23.^[9] The secret ballot initiative has led to several Senators attempting rule changes every year.^[10]