As Townhall has been covering, Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), the particularly failed and poorly vetted running mate for then Vice President Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign, has been taking part in town halls of sorts around the country, where he earns headlines by going after Elon Musk. There's chatter he may run to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith, a fellow Democrat, or even run for president himself in 2028. They're shown to be even more of a publicity stunt, given that he hasn't even had any as governor in Minnesota, a position he's held since 2019.
On Tuesday morning, The Minnesota Star Tribune put out a piece fawning over Walz's town halls, with the headline focusing on a town hall that took place in nearby Wisconsin, and how the governor "keeps up his national profile." Perhaps the governor should have worried more about his profile right in Minnesota, the state that has twice elected him to serve as governor.
The post was thoroughly ratioed, with close to 100 replies but just 6 likes. Over half of the reposts are quoted reposts mocking the failed vice presidential candidate. As replies also did, there's quoted reposts pointing to an Axios article regarding the lack of town hall events in Walz's state.
AWOL WALZ https://t.co/2M768yDhp3
— Spencer Brown (@itsSpencerBrown) March 18, 2025
CHASER: “Walz aides were unable to identify any [town halls] he's hosted in Minnesota since becoming governor in 2019.” https://t.co/0zFJ1878Fc https://t.co/g1LlNYJtN7
— John Rouleau (@John_Rouleau) March 18, 2025
“Walz aides were unable to identify any [town halls] he's hosted in Minnesota since becoming governor in 2019.” https://t.co/nnsCU1unNE
— Ben Goldey (@BenGoldey) March 18, 2025
I'm sorry @GovTimWalz can you please answer to your own state on why you are traveling the country when you can't even face anyone in your own state? Don't you think you should focus on your own state? Why no comment?
— GIGIbaker1214 (@Trish1214126171) March 18, 2025
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That Axios headline, also from Tuesday, had a rather damning headline of "Where's Walz? Gov tours GOP districts out of state." It turns out his own aides can't even name a town hall within the state that he's participated in. He's also needed back home, to actually govern:
Why it matters: Even as he continues to publicly downplay interest in a 2028 run, the former Democratic VP nominee is making moves to maintain — and raise — his national profile.
The big picture: Walz's return to the road comes as the Democratic Party and its bench of potential future leaders grapple with how to rebuild after 2024 losses and most effectively respond to President Trump.
...
Reality check: The town halls so far don't appear designed to engage voters across the aisle — all have been hosted by local Democratic groups.
- Walz's first, at a high school in Des Moines over the weekend, attracted "mostly friendly questions from a Democratic-heavy crowd," MPR News reported.
- Tuesday's event, hosted by the Wisconsin Democratic Party, is part of a broader effort to boost a Democratic candidate for the state Supreme Court.
Between the lines: While the events are attracting enthusiastic crowds, headlines and gaining kudos from some prominent voices online, polling and other metrics suggest he's got competition if he wants to be the party's torchbearer in 2028.
- Just 1% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents responding to CNN's early March survey identified the two-term governor as the person who "best reflects the core values of the Democratic Party."
Friction point: The new travel schedule has triggered criticism from Minnesota Republicans, who complain that he's focused on his political ambitions instead the budget and other issues back home.
- House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) complained that the governor's staff rebuffed her attempts to schedule regular meetings for weeks, even before a political dispute derailed the start of session.
Plus: Walz's attacks on Republicans have also attracted scrutiny over his town hall track record.
- While he held them as a member of Congress, Walz aides were unable to identify any he's hosted in Minnesota since becoming governor in 2019.
While Walz was elected in 2018 and managed to win reelection in 2022, his margins of victory haven't exactly been the most impressive.
Last November, Walz was also part of a ticket that achieved a feat not accomplished by a Democrat since 2004, which is to lose the popular vote. Trump not only won a second term thanks to the Electoral College, but close to a majority of the popular vote. Further, while the Harris-Walz ticket won the state, it was by less impressive numbers compared to years past, and the Trump-Vance ticket even won Walz's home county.
That he's focusing on insulting Musk is not exactly a surprising move for Walz, given he was the one credited with attacking now Vice President JD Vance as "weird," a tactic which very well could have helped him because Harris' running mate. The governor had a penchant for insulting not just the Trump-Walz ticket, but also everyday Americans who dared to support the 45th/47th president, by insisting that those supporters were akin to Nazis for daring to attend Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden on October 28 of last year. It was an insult he and Harris doubled down on.
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