Where's Walz? Gov tours GOP districts out of state
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Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
Gov. Tim Walz's national town hall tour targeting GOP congressional districts takes him across the border to Eau Claire on Tuesday.
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.
- New national polls released by CNN and NBC over the weekend put the party's approval rating at record-low levels.
Catch up fast: Walz's Eau Claire visit and his other planned stops stem from a social post criticizing congressional Republicans for shying away from town halls amid backlash over proposed federal spending cuts.
- After floating that he might visit those districts "to help local Democrats beat 'em," the governor was inundated with hundreds of requests from state parties, activists and candidates who wanted Walz to visit.
What he's saying: "We elected officials and we as Democrats as a whole need to tell people why we're on their side because they obviously didn't believe it," Walz told MPR News of the need to visit red areas.
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.
The other side: Walz, who signed his first bill of the session Monday, has pushed back against the idea that he's shirking state duties or meetings, telling reporters recently that GOP state legislators should "work on the budget, do your job" instead of focusing on political messaging bills.
- On his lack of local town halls, aides point out that he engages and takes questions from the public and the press at other regularly scheduled events, including round tables and meetings with advocacy groups visiting the Capitol.
- Those engagements include a Tuesday appearance in front of Minnesota farmers at the Capitol before heading to Eau Claire. A meeting with the governor and all four legislative leaders is scheduled for Wednesday.
What's next: Walz, who still hasn't said whether he'll seek a third term as governor, is expected to hold his first town hall in a GOP-held congressional district in Minnesota as soon as this weekend.