It won’t be long before people forget his name, but in the meantime, we can share some amusement over Minnesota Governor Tim "Pick Six" Walz’s opening up about his and Kamala Harris’s loss to President Donald Trump. In a candid series of interviews with local media over the past week, Walz expressed his surprise at the outcome, reflecting on the campaign’s messaging and broader lessons for Democrats.
“It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way, and it obviously wasn’t at the end,” Walz shared with KSTP. He continued, “So yeah, I was a little surprised. I thought we had a positive message, and I thought the country was ready for that.”
This was rather surprising. According to recent reports, the Harris-Walz campaign’s own internal polling showed Trump always leading Kamala throughout the race. Did campaign officials keep this information from the candidates?
Walz’s selection as Harris’s running mate was a point of contention within the Democratic Party. Some Democrats argued that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, seen as a rising star, might have been a stronger choice, especially in swing states such as Pennsylvania. When asked if he believed he helped or hindered the ticket, Walz replied, “History will write that. It wasn’t my decision to make. It was the vice president’s decision.”
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“As I said in this campaign, when you asked the question, ‘Were there things you could have done differently?’ Since we lost, the answer is obviously yes. On this one, I did the best I could.”
The New York Post has more.
Walz did not reveal what exactly he intends to do at the end of his second term in Minnesota — including whether he will make a third run for governor in a state with no term limits.
“I think it’s a little too early to tell,” Walz told Fox 9. “We’re focusing on an upcoming legislative session. Keep continuing to work on that and then we’ll decide from there.”
He added to KSTP: “What I’ve always said is that has more to do with where the people are at. If there’s a desire that it might make sense if they’d like to see us run again, we’d talk to folks, but at this time, I’m just trying to get through the session.”
Walz did tell the outlet he has never had the desire to run for US Senate.
Walz also shared insights into how Democrats might regain their footing nationally after what he described as a “resounding Republican win.” Speaking to WCCO, he emphasized understanding voters’ economic concerns.
“I think what we have to understand is the mood where people are at and understanding where they’re at. I think economic issues did impact them.”
You think?
“We were pledging to be inclusive,” Walz continued. “We were pledging to bring people in. Donald Trump has said that that isn’t what he wants, and so if that’s what America is leaning towards, I guess for me, it’s to understand and learn more about America because I thought that they were going to probably move towards a more positive message.”
Of course, this is completely untrue. Donald Trump’s winning coalition was the most diverse for a Republican candidate in recent memory. Part of the reason he won is that minority groups realized that Democrats haven't exactly done anything for them lately, and things were better when Trump was in office.
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