Tim Walz in Minnesota, or How Will He End His Governing Adventures? A Conversation with Scott Jensen at a 2022 Agriculture Trade Show
“You can have wishful thinking and you can hope that you know COVID wasn’t real … but that is not where the facts are,” Walz told the crowd. “And as governor, you have to deal with that.”
Walz was pressed on all three during a 2022 gubernatorial debate at an agriculture trade show. Scott Jensen, a Republican, told an audience in rural Minnesota that the Democrats had too much power in imposing restrictions related to issues and others.
He will not have the out of being a newcomer because the hits will come hard. With a nationwide audience watching — and Vice President Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a tight race — he won’t be able to afford any slip-ups.
“You will hear me say things like I have about how Americans are impacted, making sure they have the opportunity to thrive, and how we talk about that,” he said.
He will likely focus on his work before entering politics, because his track record shows that he will be a teacher, football coach and Army National Guard member. According to people who have debated him, Walz has a down-to-earth approach that can cause problems for him but he also has a down-to-earth style.
Tim was hoping to get some points to drive home in a political debate, just as the 2006 election would catapult him from a classroom to Congress.
That is a very small moment compared to what will happen on Tuesday when the two-term Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential nominee takes part in a debate with the Republican nominee for vice president.
“We have an opportunity here to exercise that greatest of American gifts: The ability to vote and to vote for a representative who will take this country in the direction you feel is best,” Walz said as he closed out the debate. “My optimism in this country is so great.”
“I tried to come back to two or three flaws in his leadership style, so that when the debate was over, the audience would have this general impression that Tim Walz had been slow to act as a leader, or Tim Walz had been unwilling to necessarily do what he thought best in a prompt fashion, because he wanted to check with his support base first,” Jensen said.
Jensen and others who have debated Walz note that the governor is affable and folksy. And they say his move to downplay expectations — a classic pre-debate tactic — could help him set up a more successful outcome.
“He sometimes speaks off the top of his mind, which may not bother him in Minnesota, but if that’s the case now, it will be difficult for him to ignore,” Gazelka said.
He pointed to a comment the governor made about the Minnesota National Guard members being 19 year old line cooks as he defended his response to the violence in Minneapolis. In the weeks that followed, it failed to land.
Vance and Walz Debate in New York City: When you can watch it, when you don’t – but you need to know
The Harris-Walz campaign hopes to avoid a trip-up during the debate. They’ve said the focus will be on Walz presenting himself to viewers and illustrating what a Harris presidency would mean for the country.
This will be the only time the candidates meet on stage and simultaneously present their policy positions to the broader American public, which may be less familiar with them than with their partners on the presidential ticket.
The two hold the same position in their campaigns, which is to appeal to working-class voters in several states this fall.
The CBS Evening News anchor will moderate the debate at the CBS Broadcast Center with the assistance of Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. The debate will be broadcasted on CBS, News Streaming Network, and Paramount+ and can also be watched without a cable login.
Follow NPR’s live blog on Tuesday for the latest updates, analysis, fact-checking and color — and also watch the CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Simulcast. And you can listen to NPR’s special debate coverage on many public radio stations and in the NPR app.
The first-term senator, who was once a critic of Trump, came to political relevance when he wrote the book Hillbilly Elegy, blaming Biden and Democrats for the struggles of the rural economy he grew up in. While in the Senate he has placed himself against Republican leadership at times, but on issues like abortion and immigration he’s close to Trump.
Source: Vance and Walz debate in New York City on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know
A Virtual Coin Toss for Governor Richard J. Vance, A Former Gov. William J. Walz and an Aftermath of Michael Vance
Walz got the nickname “Coach Walz” for being a former football coach and teacher. As governor, Walz secured several progressive wins in his state, including clean energy mandates, universal free school meals, family and medical leave benefits and abortion protections.
Since his nomination, he has had to address some of the issues that have come up, such as joke about childless cats and his call for Democrats to vote for him. Vance has also come under fire for spreading the false claim that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Ohio.
Walz, who served in the National Guard for 20 years and reenlisted after Sept. 11, only saw wartime deployment to Italy in 2003. Vance, who served in the Marines and did a six-month deployment to Iraq, also has not seen combat.
There will be no audience in attendance, and the candidates will each take a stand behind podiums. Candidates will have a few moments for their closing statements. Vance won a virtual coin toss on Sept. 26 and elected to go second with his closing statement.
Vance and Walz will not be allowed to have prewritten notes or props, and topics and questions will not be shared in advance with campaigns. CBS News has the right to turn off the microphones even though they are on.
The candidates will get two minutes to respond and one of them will get two minutes to answer. Then, each candidate gets one minute for further rebuttals. At the discretion of the moderators, candidates may get an additional minute each to continue a discussion.