Failed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris lost running mate Tim Walz’s home county in rural Minnesota to Donald Trump, a defeat that will intensify criticism of her decision to run alongside Minnesota’s progressive governor.
Trump won Minnesota’s Blue Earth County 49.6 percent to 48.3 percent, a 5.7 percent shift rightward from four years ago, despite Walz having lived there for two decades and launching his political career in the area.
Overall, Harris won Minnesota 51.1 percent to 46.8 percent, an underwhelming performance in a state that gave President Joe Biden 52.4 percent of the vote four years ago compared to Trump’s 45.3 percent. By the time Minnesota was called for Harris, Trump was on the verge of winning the presidential election and sweeping the traditionally Democratic “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
Walz was first elected to congress in 2006 when he flipped Minnesota’s first congressional district, an are that includes his home county. He represented the disrict for 12 years after working as a public school teacher and serving in Minnesota’s national guard. Over time, Walz transformed from a moderate Democratic congressman to a staunch progressive governor, weakening his image in the rural part of Minnesota.
Harris chose Walz to be her running mate after several of his cable news auditions went viral and inspired Democrats to mock their “weird” Republican opponents, especially Senator J. D. Vance, Trump’s running mate.
The Harris campaign hoped Walz’s addition to the ticket would help her appeal to blue-collar midwestern men, a key constituency, by emphasizing his experience as an assistant high-school football coach. Walz quickly became a liability on the ticket when it came to light that he repeatedly exaggerated his military record and took many trips to China during his teaching days.
Republicans hammered Walz’s progressive record on a number of issues including illegal immigration and transgender procedures, while linking him to the Black Lives Matter riots in Minnesota that erupted in 2020 after the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer.
The issues for Walz mounted when he delivered a shaky vice presidential debate performance against Vance, whose composure and policy knowledge contrasted Walz’s nervousness. At the debate, Walz struggled to explain why he falsely claimed to be in Hong Kong during the Chinese Communist Party’s Tiananmen Square massacre in 1987.
Later, Walz voiced opposition to the electoral college at multiple fundraisers, a position the Harris campaign had to distance itself from down the stretch. Walz similarly fumbled when he went pheasant hunting in October and struggled to load his shotgun, leading to widespread ridicule from conservatives.
“Thank you Vice President @KamalaHarris for putting your faith in me, and selecting me as your running mate. Campaigning at your side was the honor and privilege of my life,” Walz said Wednesday after losing the election.
“While the outcome is not what we wanted, I am grateful to the millions of Americans who joined our campaign and stood up for our greatest ideals: decency, compassion, and love of our neighbor.”