Where's Walz: Governor takes a campaign trail break for a rare Minnesota event
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Gov. Tim Walz, flanked by security and photographers, helped volunteers pack meals. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios
Gov. Tim Walz took a brief break from the campaign trail Wednesday to make a rare public appearance in Minnesota, dropping in at a St. Paul event commemorating September 11.
The big picture: Criss-crossing the country for rallies and fundraisers has left little time for official events back home since the sitting governor joined the national Democratic ticket last month.
Driving the news: Wednesday's stop at a National Day of Service and Remembrance volunteer event marked Walz's first outing in his capacity as governor in more than a month.
- "Thanks for continuing to make it not just another day on the calendar," the governor told the hundreds of people gathered at St. Paul's Roy Wilkins Auditorium to pack meals for the hungry.
State of play: A grueling travel schedule, security concerns and the more tightly orchestrated press strategy of a presidential campaign means Minnesotans are seeing a lot less of their top state executive.
- His only other local public appearance since early August was a Sept. 1 campaign stop at the State Fair, where he took two brief questions from journalists.
Flashback: Before he was elevated to a vice presidential candidate, Walz held local events and news conferences on a regular basis.
- His daily schedules show at least eight events during the first 11 days of September in 2022, when he was running for re-election as governor.
The campaign side: Walz the national candidate has already held multiple events across three states — Arizona, Nevada and Texas — this week.
- He did a series of interviews with swing state radio stations last week and appeared on ABC and MSNBC following Tuesday's debate.
What they're saying: Walz's state office says it's basically business as usual, with staff running day-to-day operations and the governor getting frequent briefings and weighing in on key decisions.
- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan has been doing what would typically be joint appearances — like greeting students on the first week or school — solo.
Friction point: The schedule and lack of access can make it difficult for Minnesota to hear from Walz himself on the news of the day and about decisions like the ongoing search for a permanent chief of the state's cannabis agency.
- The last time he took extended questions from the local press was Friday, Aug. 2, just days before Harris announced her pick.
The bottom line: With less than eight weeks until the election, Minnesotans shouldn't expect to see much of the governor in the flesh until after Nov. 5.