U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, left, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, right, arrive at a press conference ahead of the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials on June 24, 2024, in Minneapolis.

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Abbie Parr/AP

The NPR Network will be reporting live from Chicago throughout the week bringing you the latest on the Democratic National Convention.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar and vice presidential hopeful Tim Walz have been close friends for a long time. But just how close are the two Minnesotans?

“My mother-in-law brought them a Parmesan chicken dinner when their son was born. That’s how far back we go,” Klobuchar told NPR earlier this month.

Both Klobuchar and Walz will address the DNC on Wednesday night, with Walz offering the keynote speech. But beyond sharing a home state, the two share a kinship.

“[Walz is] someone who’s thoughtful and a nice person, cares about people, and it’s just something about him,” Klobuchar said.

“And some people say, ‘well, I haven’t heard of him.’ Well, maybe that’s because he’s just been doing his job for all these years. Maybe because he came from a humble background and didn’t think when he was growing up he wanted to be in politics.”

As a friend, Klobuchar can vouch for that niceness — a quality that she hopes will translate across the country in November.

“She’s brought someone she can trust and then someone who can lead and someone who understands the Midwest and rural America,” Klobuchar said .

“So that is, I think, a very big deal when you look at other people’s background for these jobs. Not a lot of vice presidents have stood in a deer stand in 10-degree weather in Minnesota.”