4 potential democratic vice-presidential candidates and their history with universal free school meals

With current Vice President Kamala Harris as the likely democratic presidential nominee, attention has now turned to who will be her running-mate. Several names have been thrown into the ring, many of whom have worked to pass legislation expanding free school meal access.

Here’s a look at some potential VP picks and their involvement with universal free school meals.

1. Governor Tim Walz

Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz brought universal free school meals to Minnesota this past school year after signing HF 5 into law last spring and the state has seen an increase in school meal participation after the free meals went into effect.

“As a former teacher, I know that providing free breakfast and lunch for our students is one of the best investments we can make to lower costs, support Minnesota’s working families, and care for our young learners and the future of our state,” Governor Walz said in a statement when signing HF 5 into law. “This bill puts us one step closer to making Minnesota the best state for kids to grow up, and I am grateful to all of the legislators and advocates for making it happen.”

2. Governor Josh Shapiro

While Pennsylvania does not offer universal free school lunch, Governor Josh Shapiro has been an advocate of the state’s universal free school breakfast program which began in 2022 under former Governor Tom Wolf.

Since Shapiro was elected as governor in 2023, he has continued to include funding in each of his proposed state budget plans to offer all students free breakfast at school. This fall, students will once again receive free breakfast thanks to funding in the 2024-25 state budget which Shapiro signed into law this month. 

3. Governor J.B. Pritzker

In 2023, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed in which would provide universal free meals to all students in the state. The state government did not allocate enough funding to administer the program, however, so Illinois students and their families have continued to pay for school meals.

4. Senator Mark Kelly

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has supported bills aimed at increasing school meal access.

In 2022, he co-sponsored a bill that would have extended the U.S. Department of Education’s child nutrition waivers, which allowed schools across the country to feed all kids for free during the height of the pandemic. In addition, he supported the Keep Kids Fed Act which was signed into law in 2022 and allowed a temporarily increase in school meal reimbursements.