Politics and Government News

Gov. Walz to head to Mankato for State of the State address

Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a press conference.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks to reporters at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Minneapolis on Dec. 15, on the day the hospital started administering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Walz plans to visit Mankato for his latest State of the State speech to be delivered in a couple of weeks.
April Eilers | Courtesy of Minneapolis VA Health Care System 2020

Gov. Tim Walz will go on the road to Mankato for his latest State of the State speech to be delivered in a couple of weeks.

For the second consecutive year, Walz won’t make the address in the state House chamber. That’s due in large part to the pandemic and restrictions on large gatherings.

Instead he’ll go to a classroom in Mankato to deliver the speech on the evening of March 21, two weeks from this Sunday. It’s at the high school where he taught before entering politics.

“Over the past year, Minnesotans have made extraordinary sacrifices to save lives and change the course of this pandemic,” Walz said in a written statement. “I look forward to the opportunity to speak directly to Minnesotans and young people across the state as we look toward brighter days ahead.”

It will be carried live on MPR News.

Last year, Walz spoke from the governor’s residence just as the COVID-19 crisis was causing fear and major societal disruptions.

He talked of preparation and sacrifice. And he urged people to prepare for a long struggle with the coronavirus, which has been borne out.