Harris VP pick puts local issues front and center

Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her vice president in the 2024 race catapults the former geography teacher, veteran and former Congressman to the national stage and with it, his long track record as a champion for local issues.

Walz follows Walter Mondale, vice president to Jimmy Carter, and Hubert Humphrey as the third Minnesotan to break out of local state politics up into the presidential race in what’s proving to be an exciting and contentious race as the country gears up to vote in November.

“It’s been a while since there’s been a major Minnesota person on the ticket,” said Barry Fick, executive director of the Minnesota Higher Education Facilities Authority. “I think Walz has a lot of strong features. He’s ex-National Guard. He’s a hunter. He resonates well with non-metro area people so I think he’ll add some help to the candidacy of Kamala.”

Fick said that other than Walz’s office appointing their board of directors, which has always gone smoothly, he has had little interaction with the governor on a personal or professional level. But Minnesota has already been polling well for the Democrats and this selection will likely have little effect on those already planning to vote that way in November. 

“Democrats had about a ten point lead in Minnesota before the selection of Walz,” Fick said. “I don’t think it’s going to turn it any further.”

Walz was first elected Governor of Minnesota in 2018 and reelected in 2022 and has racked up an impressive legislative record, signing bills to create a paid family and medical leave program, provide universal free school meals, legalize recreational marijuana and increase tax credits for low-income families, a key Biden Administration achievement that many believe a Harris Administration would continue and expand, though no formal proposals have been introduced.

“Minnesota has the strongest Child Tax Credit in the nation,” Walz said in a Twitter post over the weekend. “With nearly 440,000 children already benefiting, it’s cutting child poverty and giving hardworking families the breathing room they need to get ahead.”

“Governor Walz has been a strong leader, a great partner with the Legislature, and is an excellent choice for vice president,” said Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “We worked together over the last two years on the most productive session in Minnesota in decades, passing policies that will help Minnesotans build better lives for themselves and their families.”

But some Republicans in Minnesota who are not fans of his policies say he has changed the state for the worse. 

As Walz began taking on more media interviews in what felt like the Minnesota governor auditioning for the role of Harris’ vice president, Minnesota House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth penned an op-ed detailing how the “past two years featured some of the most extreme and irresponsible policies we’ve ever seen in our state,” she said, citing tax and fee increases, unstable new spending and energy mandates.

“The ‘investments’ he brags about on national TV were paired with crushing mandates that have resulted in budget cuts in schools across our state. Minnesota kids are simply not getting the education they deserve under Gov. Walz,” Demuth wrote.

But others from across the aisle see his dedication to public service as a good thing no matter the party affiliation.

“We had the chance to work together as fellow governors, and while we come from different parties, I have always appreciated his dedication to public service,” Republican former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said. “I believe we need more governors at the national level because governors have to actually get stuff done.”

Before serving as governor, Walz was elected to Congress in 2006 and served for 12 years, becoming the first Democrat to win the 1st Congressional District in more than a decade in addition to his 24 years with the National Guard, where at the rank of command sergeant major, made him the highest ranking enlisted man to ever serve in U.S. Congress.

The shuffling in of Harris in place of a cratering Biden Campaign has given voters some fresh excitement and with the Walz pick, some fresh energy to show voters what they can do on local issues, given both former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance have little direct experience with state and local governments. 

“Tim Walz is an exceptionally effective governor – and also great to work with,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter. “I’m excited for what his Midwestern voice, military experience, and common-sense values will bring to our winning ticket, and for everything the Harris-Walz administration will deliver for Americans.”