Lack of joint events fuels talk of rift between Walz and his lieutenant governor

Driving the news: The pair, who have long played up their partnership and chummy rapport, have yet to appear together publicly after Election Day.

• Flanagan's top staffer in the governor's office also recently announced that he has left his post.

Catch up fast: The personal and professional relationship between Walz and Flanagan goes back nearly two decades — they met when she led a candidate training he attended before running for Congress for the first time in 2006.

• In 2017, he tapped Flanagan, an enrolled member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe who was by then a two-term state legislator with strong ties to DFL activists, as his running mate in his bid for governor.
• The move was widely seen as an effort by Walz, a moderate congressman from a rural district, to earn the support of more liberal Democrats in a crowded DFL primary.
• The ticket won re-election in 2022.

The big picture: Walz's ascension to the Democratic presidential ticket also raised Flanagan's profile, given that she would have become the nation's first female Native American governor — and a front-runner for Minnesota's 2026 gubernatorial race — had he won.

• Multiple DFL sources familiar with the situation told Axios that the lieutenant governor's absence from public events is partly tied to tensions stemming from the election and potential transition of power.
• The Star Tribune reported late Wednesday that Walz was irritated by Flanagan's behind-the-scenes moves to prepare for her own potential administration and campaign, including spending money from their gubernatorial campaign account without his sign-off.

What they're saying: For weeks, Walz staffers have said the lack of joint events is due to calendar conflicts, citing Flanagan's commitments outside the office.

• "They both keep full schedules and it often makes more sense to have them in two places at once," Walz press secretary Claire Lancaster told Axios this week.
• Lancaster did not directly respond to whether the two are speaking or meeting privately, though both attended a Dec. 10 executive council meeting conducted via Zoom.
• Flanagan has not commented publicly on the situation.

Between the lines: Flanagan has been a regular presence at the governor's public events, bill signings and other engagements since they took office in 2019.

• She took on an even more public role during his VP bid, filling in at official events back home and serving as a vocal and enthusiastic surrogate for him and the national Democratic campaign.

• Both have spoken publicly about how Walz has involved her in major policy and personnel decisions — with Flanagan even pointing out that the table in the governor's cabinet room has a chair for each of them at the end.

Yes, but: Flanagan has been notably absent from at least a half-dozen events Walz has hosted since his return, including his major post-campaign speech, a visit to a local food shelf, and a recent holiday reception for the media at the governor's residence.

• Her public events, including a solo food shelf visit, have not been promoted via stand-alone media advisories since early November.

Flashback: A review of their public calendars shows that over the same period last year, Flanagan joined Walz for at least three of his public events and held several of her own.

Zoom out: While they both speak warmly about their partnership publicly, Walz and Flanagan have privately been at odds over policy and strategy in the past.

• Rumors swirled in the lead-up to the 2022 election that the ticket could have split instead of running together for a second term.

What we're watching: Walz and the more progressive Flanagan have yet to commit to running again in 2026.

• When asked by the Star Tribune recently if he should step aside after two terms to allow up-and-coming Democrats to run, Walz said, "You could always have a primary."