How Gov. Tim Walz built a national profile before he went viral
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Walz unveiling a Little Free Library he filled with "banned" books at the State Capitol in 2023. Photo: Torey Van Oot/Axios
While his "weird" quip targeting Republicans launched him into the national zeitgeist last month, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his supporters have been quietly building his national profile for over a year.
The big picture: After a first term defined by divided government, the COVID pandemic, and fallout over the murder of George Floyd, voters sent Walz back to the State Capitol in 2022 with Democratic majorities in both chambers.
- That sweep gave him a platform to pass — and tout — a liberal agenda that has grown his own profile nationwide.
What they're saying: Having the right message and profile at the right time boosted Walz into VP contention, Brian McClung, a former top aide to former GOP presidential candidate and Gov. Tim Pawlenty told Axios.
- But the groundwork and political moves before the TV hits are what put him in place to seize on that moment.
Case in point: In March of 2023, Walz held a Capitol news conference to unveil a Little Free Library filled with books he claimed were "banned" in red states.
- "We're going make very clear in Minnesota, for every book you ban in Iowa and Florida, we'll put ten of them out," he said at the time.
Zoom in: The book banning stunt wasn't the only sign that the former congressman from rural Minnesota was positioning himself for higher office:
- A month later, he used a State of the State address to take another dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, then a likely contender for president, saying, "They're banishing books from their schools. We're banishing hunger from ours."
- He signed into law progressive priorities ranging from abortion and transgender rights protections to paid family leave — then made those wins go viral with a flashy drone video.
At the same time, he sought to keep distance from more politically controversial elements of the party's far-left flank, including the "defund the police" movement and Hennepin County's reform-oriented county prosecutor.
Plus: He backed President Biden as a top campaign surrogate and defended the president against criticism over his age.
- As chair of the Democratic Governors Association, a post he landed in December 2023, he has crisscrossed the country for fundraisers and party functions, including in New Hampshire earlier this year.
- The DGA leadership role also facilitated connections to donors and party leaders in battleground states across the nation.
Between the lines: While his record as governor made him a favorite of the party's left flank, Walz's 12 years representing a rural swing district in Congress may have also been a key factor.
- Relationships he made during the time manifested into what one senior House Democrat described as a "quiet diplomacy" campaign to lobby Harris to name him as her pick, Axios' Andrew Solender reports.
