The Harris-Walz ticket got destroyed. They lost in the most embarrassing fashion.
But now insane news about Tim Walz just got confirmed.
Kamala Harris’s Running Mate, Tim Walz, Loses His Home County to Trump in Minnesota
Tim Walz, the progressive governor of Minnesota and former congressman, faced a significant blow in the 2024 election when he failed to deliver his home county of Blue Earth to Kamala Harris. In the race, Harris’s ticket, though victorious in the state, saw a notable defeat in Walz’s rural home territory, intensifying criticism of his selection as her running mate.
Despite Walz’s deep ties to Blue Earth County — having lived there for two decades and launched his political career in the area — Donald Trump emerged victorious, securing 49.6% of the vote compared to Harris’s 48.3%. This marked a 5.7% shift toward the right compared to the previous election, signaling growing dissatisfaction in the rural heartlands of Minnesota.
Harris’s Narrow Win in Minnesota
Harris did manage to win Minnesota, securing 51.1% of the vote compared to Trump’s 46.8%, but her margin of victory was underwhelming. In the 2020 election, Joe Biden had carried the state with a more substantial 52.4% to Trump’s 45.3%. By the time Minnesota was officially called for Harris, Trump was closing in on a potential victory, with the fate of the key “blue wall” states — Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania — hanging in the balance.
While Harris’s win in Minnesota was still a victory, it was not the decisive result that the campaign had hoped for. The underperformance raised eyebrows, particularly given the state’s previous support for Biden and the fact that Walz, with his long-standing ties to the region, was expected to help strengthen the Democratic ticket’s appeal to blue-collar voters.
Tim Walz’s political career has evolved over time, shifting from a moderate Democratic congressman to a staunch progressive governor. First elected to Congress in 2006, Walz represented Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Blue Earth County, for over a decade. His background as a public school teacher and National Guard veteran made him a respected figure in his rural community.
However, as governor, Walz’s progressive policies, particularly on issues like illegal immigration, transgender rights, and police reform, started to erode his standing in rural parts of Minnesota. The most damaging of these issues came to the forefront during the national campaign, as Republicans aggressively linked him to the Black Lives Matter protests that erupted in Minnesota in 2020 following George Floyd’s death.
The Walz Liability
The Harris campaign had hoped that Walz would help broaden her appeal to Midwestern working-class men, particularly with his background as an assistant high-school football coach. However, Walz soon became a liability on the campaign trail, facing criticism over personal missteps and inconsistencies that undermined his credibility.
In particular, Walz faced backlash after it was revealed that he had exaggerated aspects of his military service and had made several trips to China during his teaching days, which Republicans used to attack his credibility.
Further complicating matters, Walz’s debate performance against Republican candidate J.D. Vance was widely panned. Vance, known for his calm demeanor and policy expertise, contrasted sharply with Walz’s nervousness. The debate became particularly contentious when Walz struggled to explain why he had falsely claimed to be in Hong Kong during the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1987.
Walz also made headlines for his controversial stance on the Electoral College, which he voiced at multiple fundraising events. His opposition to the institution caused headaches for the Harris campaign, which was forced to distance itself from his comments in the final weeks of the race.
The final blow came when Walz, while hunting pheasants in October, struggled to load his shotgun — an incident that was widely mocked by conservatives as emblematic of his lack of “common man” appeal.
Despite the setbacks, Walz remained gracious in defeat. On the day after the election results, he expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to run alongside Kamala Harris.
“Thank you Vice President Kamala Harris 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 wrote on social media.
“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,” he continued.
Though Walz’s selection as Harris’s running mate did not result in the hoped-for boost in Minnesota and struggled to appeal to key demographics, his reflection on the campaign emphasized a commitment to the values the ticket had championed, even in the face of defeat.
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