With Gov. Tim Walz officially Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota has made its biggest return to presidential politics in 40 years.

Local allies on Tuesday praised the governor for his record advancing progressive priorities and what they said were his Midwestern credentials. Many had speculated Harris might pick a governor from a Midwestern state, though it wasn’t clear if Walz would be the one.

Rep. Betty McCollum, who in July had called for Harris to choose Walz, issued a statement saying the vice president made an “excellent, insightful choice” and calling Walz – her former Congressional colleague – a “friend … whose Midwest values are rooted in selfless service to our nation, caring for his neighbors, and inspiring students, soldiers, and citizens to stand together, dream bigger, and never give up.”

Meanwhile, conservative critics in the state and the campaign of former President Donald Trump pounced on Walz’s record, attempting to paint him as an extremist bent on spreading West Coast progressive ideals to the rest of the country.

“He embodies the same disastrous economic, open-borders, and soft-on-crime policies Harris has inflicted on our country the last four years,” Minnesota Republican Congressman Tom Emmer said in a post to social media. “Walz is an empty suit who has worked to turn Minnesota into Harris’ home state of California, and solidifies this ticket’s full embrace of a radical, America-last agenda.”

New political visibility to the state

The last time a Minnesotan appeared on the Democratic presidential ticket was in 1984 when former Vice President Walter Mondale ran against President Ronald Reagan. Before that, senator and vice president Hubert Humphrey ran for president as the Democratic nominee in 1968 but lost to Richard Nixon.

Now that Minnesota’s governor is running, it will bring new political visibility to Minnesota that hasn’t been seen in decades, said retired state Rep. Gene Pelowski, a Winona DFLer who for 38 years served in a district that falls within the southern Minnesota Congressional district Walz once represented.

“It would be a fresh national voice for the Democratic Party,” said Pelowski, who painted a picture of Walz as a down-to-earth rural politician. “He was always just Tim Walz. He was not likely to be in the suit and tie. He was more likely to be in something very relaxed. He was not afraid to go on a farm … All of that, I think, helps on the national level.”

Democrats are excited by many of Walz’s legislative achievements, like the enactment of paid family and medical leave, granting drivers licenses to people regardless of immigration status, codifying abortion rights, mandating clean energy by 2040 and creating protections for minors seeking transgender medicine.

Walz may have the ability to relate to rural swing voters in the Midwest, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll change their mind on his record, said David Schultz, a professor of political science at Hamline University.

“Minnesota is going to be under a microscope now, and the question will be, how does Minnesota under a microscope look on the national stage?” he said. “Is he going to persuade any hardcore Trumpites to vote for Harris? No. Not going to happen. Is he going to be able to move a small number of undecided voters over, who are more centers because of his rhetorical style, over to Harris? Maybe.”

Critics weigh in

Republicans and others on the right have pointed to the ongoing Feeding Our Future scandal where nonprofit workers allegedly diverted $250 million in federal money intended for meal programs for needy children as part of their criticism of Walz. A legislative audit found the Department of Education, under the Walz Administration, had “inadequate oversight” which contributed to one of the biggest pandemic-era fraud schemes in the U.S.

Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hann blamed Walz for the severity of the 2020 riots following the murder of George Floyd and said the governor didn’t respond “appropriately” to the pandemic.

He also pointed to Walz and DFLers’ spending of a historic $17 billion budget surplus while introducing new taxes, despite the governor’s initial pitch of $1,000 and $2,000 direct payments to Minnesotans.

“The Democrats’ choice of Tim Walz for Vice President sends a clear message that despite what they have been saying for months now, they are indeed worried about winning Minnesota. They should be,” Hann said in a Tuesday statement.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter pushed back against assertions that Walz mishandled the 2020 riots, something Trump’s running mate has also pushed.

“J.D. Vance can say all day what he would have done if he had to manage a crisis situation, or manage troops in a combat situation,” Carter said. “That’s one of the challenges for folks in a leadership position – people who were on the sidelines can always argue ‘I would have done it differently’ without having any examples of times where you’ve led through a situation.”

Abortion, LGBT issues

Last year, Walz and the DFL-led Minnesota Legislature enacted laws creating strong protections for abortion in the state, as well as a ban on so-called conversion therapy and protections for transgender medicine.

Jeff Evans, chief executive officer of the Minnesota Family Council and Institute, a conservative advocacy organization, issued a statement calling the Harris-Walz presidential ticket “the most radical on abortion and gender ideology in American history” and deriding Walz as “one of the most progressive governors in the country.”

Abortion rights and LGBT groups, and Minnesota’s first transgender woman lawmaker, however, praised Walz for signing protections into law.

“From the moment I was sworn in as a member of the Minnesota Legislature, it became clear to me that Governor Walz was committed to being a true ally for the queer community,” said Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul.

Business, labor

On the business side, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce met news of Walz joining Harris with a lukewarm reception. In a statement, the group’s president noted the governor’s military service and leadership during COVID and civil unrest but also raised concerns about his policies’ effects on the state economy.

“Many progressive policies passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor have limited the private sector from reaching its economic potential,” said Doug Loon, President of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. “This propels Minnesota to the national stage but there is much more to be done here to improve our business climate.”

Labor groups, meanwhile, praised Walz for his past support. Groups including SEIU Minnesota and Education Minnesota, the state’s educators union, were among labor groups who issued statements in support of Harris’ choice.

“Minnesota’s loss is America’s gain,” said Education Minnesota President Denise Specht. “Tim Walz has been an ally of educators and public education for his whole political career, especially during his time as Minnesota’s governor.”

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