Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, fresh off of his loss as a Vice Presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket last November, is hitting the national campaign trail again. As the Associated Press (AP) via US News reports,
Emerging From 2024 Loss, Tim Walz Holds a Town Hall in an Iowa Republican’s District
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is reemerging from a public-facing lull that followed last year’s election loss
I wrote extensively on my Twitter (X) account last fall about Walz’s first attempt at national office. Not only did the two-term Governor’s physical appearance change (sudden weight loss, new wardrobe, no eyeglasses), so did his entire personality.
After the decisive defeat of the Harris Walz ticket, the weight was back along with the eyeglasses. But as the AP headline indicates, we in Minnesota and you in the rest of America have seen little of Walz in the past four months.
His leadership talents, such as they are, could be put to use here at home, where Minnesota state government is facing a $6 billion budget deficit and the state legislature is split evenly between the two parties, with the local Democrats having lost their “trifecta” monopoly on power.
Instead, Walz has decided to embark on a national tour, with the AP noting,
Walz is reemerging after last year’s election loss, granting interviews to national media and speaking to hundreds attending the Montana Democratic Party’s annual dinner earlier this month.
Now, he’s kicking off a tour of town halls in competitive congressional districts represented by Republicans
The theory being that Republicans are somehow ducking their constituents as they are busy in Washington, DC, with frivolities like preventing a government shutdown.
By pure coincidence, the first stop on the Walz tour is Iowa, which may again be one of the first primary/caucus states in the runup to the 2028 Presidential election. He will also travel to his home state of Nebraska, Ohio, and the swing state of nearby Wisconsin.
The irony, of course, is that Walz is notorious for ducking public appearances in Minnesota.
Based on this one clip from his first Iowa appearance, Walz appears to have reverted back to his national persona, but with the eyeglasses.
Walz has indicated that he may run for a third term as Governor next year, but clearly, he is looking further down the road. He has some work to do.
A recent Newsweek piece on the potential Democratic field for 2028 has former V.P. Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom among four potential candidates in the frontrunners category. Walz languishes in 4th place among the “Who Else May Run?” category.
Happy Trails, Governor!
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