Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, 2024 Democratic VP candidate, says Democrats need a winner in '28 ... but it won’t be me
Part 1 of 2
(Editor’s note: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz discussed numerous issues, including the 2024 and 2028 presidential campaigns, in an exclusive interview with Tom Lawrence of The South Dakota Standard.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz says the Democrats need a strong candidate to win back the White House in 2028.
Walz, the 2024 Democratic vice-presidential candidate, said he is willing to campaign across the country, make speeches and boost the odds of a Democratic win. But there is one thing he vows not to do: Run.
He told me on Saturday night, as he waited to deliver a fiery and funny speech to about 1,000 people at the South Dakota Democratic Party’s annual McGovern Day, that he will not run for president.
“I will do whatever it takes to get someone elected,” he said. “But I’m not interested.”
Is there any way Walz will change his mind?
“No,” he said.
Walz isn’t even sure he will run for a third term as governor. He said he will decide after the Minnesota State Fair wraps up on Sept. 1.
That was a surprise. I expected Walz to dance around the question, offer a non-answer answer. But nope, was fast and firm. He will not run for president.
Of course, politicians, like old boxers, retire and return a lot. So, let’s keep an eye on him still
Walz is still deciding if he will seek a third term as governor in 2026. He also would need to select a new running mate, since Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is seeking the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith.
Flanagan was the speaker at the 2021 McGovern Day event. I was the lone reporter who covered it.
Walz wants to see Democrats compete — and win — in places like South Dakota. He did so himself, earning six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from a moderate to conservative district in southwestern Minnesota from 2007-2019.
Walz was a high school teacher and assistant football coach in Mankato, Minn., when he felt compelled to run for Congress, sparked when two students were banned from a George W. Bush rally in 2004. He defeated a veteran Republican, Gil Gutknecht in 2006.
In a bid for a second term, he received 62.5 percent of the vote. Yes, a Democrat could win in a rural area. Walz said it can happen in South Dakota, too.
After that initial victory, he won four more terms in Congress, and was elected governor in 2018. Walz won a second term in 2022, and is still considering a campaign for a third term. He will announce his plans after the Minnesota State Fair wraps up Sept. 1, Walz said.
What he won’t do is run for president, he said. Earlier this year, he said he was pondering a run, but on Saturday, he said he will not do so.
But Walz does see a role in helping the Democrats, who are in the minority in both halls of Congress, regain power in Washington. Donald Trump can’t seek a third term in 2028 — unless things change dramatically — and many promising Democrats are vying for the nomination.
Four other governors, JB Pritzker of Illinois, California’s Gavin Newsom, Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, whom Walz reportedly edged out to be Kamala Harris’ running mate, are interested. They are fanning out across the country to reach out to voters, Walz said. “I just think that’s the right thing that we should be out there making a case that Democratic policies matter,” he said.
Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also are looking at the race. Others are sure to consider taking a shot at the ultimate brass ring.
Will Harris run again? Should she?
Walz said the former California senator and vice president has every right to take another shot at the post.
“I know she would have been a great president, and we would not be in the mess that we’re in,” he said. “I think she’d be great at it.”
Biden’s refusal to drop out of the 2024 election until widespread calls for him to step aside after his disastrous debate with Trump did not cost the Democrats the election, Walz said.
“No, I think a lot of decisions already had been made,” he said.
But, Walz said, he hoped he and Harris could change enough voters’ minds.
“I thought there was going to be enough time,” he said. “Maybe we did run a little short on time. But I certainly don’t fault President Biden.”
Walz said Biden’s work to build up the economy and bring the nation out of the COVID pandemic is an impressive legacy.
Walz said Trump lied about bringing down prices and ending the war in Ukraine, but was clear about his plans to crack down on immigrants, which the Minnesota governor described as cruel.
“He wasn’t really hiding a lot of this,” Walz said.
Walz has mixed feelings about the 2024 campaign, he said.
“I enjoyed the new experiences and I certainly enjoyed meeting people,” Walz said. “What I really enjoyed sharing what Minnesota had done, and seeing other states say, ‘That would be great if we could do that.’”
Walz favors a popular vote for president. He said it’s wrong that the same seven swing states determine who will be elected.
Every state should have a say, including places like South Dakota. That is why he hopes to see a change.
That is not the only one he is counting on, and willing to work on in the next few years.
Fourth-generation South Dakotan Tom Lawrence has written for several newspapers and websites in South Dakota and other states for four decades. He has contributed to The New York Times, NPR, The London Telegraph, The Daily Beast and other media outlets. Do not republish without permission.
Photo: Grace Stack
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