In a presidential election cycle that continues to deliver seemingly unprecedented twists and turns, Minnesota DFLers — who earlier this month were some of President Joe Biden’s most ardent defenders — have quickly lined up behind Vice President Kamala Harris as Biden’s replacement at the top of the ticket.
On Monday morning, Gov. Tim Walz publicly expressed his support for Harris in a statement on X from his campaign account. That came just 18 hours after Biden announced via social media that he was suspending his campaign and endorsing his vice president to succeed him in the November election.
“Thanks for the call, @KamalaHarris,” Walz said in the social media post time stamped shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday. “You have my full support. Let’s go win this thing.”
Walz’s endorsement of Harris to succeed Biden as the Democratic Party’s nominee for the White House followed endorsements of Harris on Sunday from other prominent Minnesota Democrats, including Attorney General Keith Ellison and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith are also included among those DFL elected officials who have lined up behind Harris less than 24 hours after Biden’s announced exit from the race.
Outgoing Minnesota congressman and former Biden challenger Dean Phillips has called for an open primary to choose a nominee at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month.
Walz and Democratic governors gave Biden vote of confidence on July 3
Just three weeks ago, Walz traveled to Washington, D.C., and, along with most members of the Democratic Governors Association, he declared Biden “fit for office,” just minutes after speaking with the president in what several media outlets described as a “closed door meeting.”
Reporters gathered outside the White House asked Walz, and governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Wes Moore of Maryland, how Biden explained to them his debate performance the week prior.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says he believes President Biden is "fit for office" pic.twitter.com/cfn66yvOiY
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) July 4, 2024
“I thought he gave a great example, when he said, ‘Look, I am worrying about numbers on this,’” Walz said, recounting for reporters his conversation with Biden. “It’s about people; it’s about people. It’s about their lives. This is Joe from Scranton. He talks about building the middle class; he did it; he delivered. And I think this idea that you get in your own head; you get a little bit cycled up on that.
“What we saw in there today is a guy who’s the guy that all of us believed in the first time that could beat Donald Trump and did beat Donald Trump, and a guy who can,” Walz said as he waved to reporters and then ended the press conference.
Governor vague on specifics of conversation with Harris
Over the last several weeks, Walz, a two-term governor and former congressman, has gone to bat for Biden with a level of support above most others in his party amid criticism on both sides of the aisle that Biden’s perceived deteriorating cognitive abilities were increasingly becoming a hindrance to his ability to defeat Donald Trump this November.
Walz has seen his national profile rise in recent months, not long after he was elected by his Democratic gubernatorial peers to serve as the chair of the Democratic Governors Association. That new role has led to Walz, a former schoolteacher and National Guard member, becoming a frequent and reliable surrogate for Biden on the national cable television news circuit.
Now there is speculation by some, and recommendation by at least two members of Congress, that Walz would make a good running mate for Harris.
On Friday, Congresswoman Betty McCollum called on Biden to exit the presidential race and suggested Walz would make a suitable running mate for Harris, which she preemptively endorsed.
The 12-term member of the U.S. House from St. Paul opined that “Harris would need a strong Midwestern running-mate and I encourage her and the Democratic delegates to consider a successful leader who has been a teacher, soldier, football coach, former-member of Congress, and a proven winner — Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz.”
On Monday, Sen. Tina Smith said during a live interview on Fox 9 Twin Cities that “Gov. Walz would make an outstanding vice president.”
On Monday, Alpha News reached out to Walz’s communication staff to inquire about the specifics of the conversation Walz said he’s had with Harris following Biden’s exit from the race, and whether they discussed her potential running mate. Walz’s staff has not yet replied to that request for comment.
However, Walz told MPR News that he is open to joining Harris on the Democratic ticket.
“She mentioned she would need my help. And I said she has it in any way that she sees fit,” Walz told the outlet. “If that’s the direction she goes, I guess that’s fine.”
From Nebraska school teacher to top Minnesota Democrat
While Walz once carefully portrayed himself as a moderate rural Democrat, he has gained accolades among the progressive wing of his Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party that has controlled both the House and Senate in the state legislature since 2023. During that time the governor has also gained his fair share of critics as the Democratic “trifecta” has celebrated an agenda that included a nearly 40-percent increase in the state’s budget.
Walz enjoyed relatively comfortable margins of victory in each of his two gubernatorial campaigns. Despite this, his support in Greater Minnesota has waned over the years. During his final re-election bid for U.S. House in 2016, he squeaked out a win over challenger Jim Hagedorn by less than one percentage point in Minnesota’s First Congressional District.
While Walz often proudly shares his origin story as a former teacher, veteran and football coach from Mankato, he’s actually a native of Nebraska.
During his first campaigns for Congress and then governor, Walz’s record was scrutinized for a past brush he had with the law while he was a young teacher in his home state. In 2022, Alpha News reported on court transcripts related to his 1995 arrest on suspicion of driving while under the influence and excessive speeding. He’s also been hit with repeated allegations from former military colleagues that as a National Guard sergeant he dodged deployment to Iraq in 2005 as he was readying a run for office. And the governor has also had to defend his record during the COVID-19 pandemic and riots in 2020 and 2021.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
