With Tim Walz on the Democratic ticket, Minnesota Republicans also hop on national wave
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Gov. Tim Walz’s national star has risen since Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tapped him as a running mate last month — and that’s put more Minnesota Republicans on the national stage, too, as they seize opportunities to call him out.
Some are answering the call to point out flaws while others see a chance to get attention in Republican circles as they contemplate a move up the political ladder, perhaps running for Walz’s current job in 2026.
Current and former GOP lawmakers and candidates have offered up critiques of Walz’s leadership in TV interviews, in print and on Capitol Hill. And local conservatives on social media have seen their follower counts boom by picking at Walz’s track record.
Democrats have also been given a broader platform to laud Walz, and they’ve put the focus on more positive attributes and policy strides he’s helped steer through.
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Snagging an opening
Almost immediately after Harris, the current vice president, chose Walz as her running mate, Minnesota Republicans got calls, too. They were sought-after voices for stories about what Walz did and where he might have fallen short.
“Listen, Tim Walz comes across as an affable Midwesterner, but his actions speak a lot louder than his words,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota congressman, told Fox News the day after Harris made the announcement.
The Republican who represents central Minnesota is among a long list to weigh in on Walz’s political track record, including his budgeting decisions during six years at the helm.
“He’s put us on a crash course for a deficit, he’s put the state in a terrible economic situation,” Emmer said.
Minnesota has a near-term surplus but an economic forecast released earlier this year shows possible trouble looming. Lawmakers will get an update in December on the state’s financial health.
The new national exposure around a Democratic politician could help some Minnesota Republicans grow their political reputation.
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, often mentioned as a possible 2026 candidate for governor, has been out there criticizing Walz in press releases, public appearances and with conservative media. He has challenged Walz’s military record, during an August interview with NewsMax.
“He lied to advance his political career and every service member should be extremely upset,” Stauber said.
Walz has defended his time in uniform but acknowledged an instance where his comments left the impression he deployed to a warzone, which he never was. He has also had to clarify other remarks saying he retired from the Army National Guard as a command sergeant major. National Guard officials said he failed to complete the additional coursework needed to reach the rank, reducing him to a lower rank in retirement.
Assessing crisis management
Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka just published a book about taking on Walz at the Capitol for many years. Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, was among several Republicans to run for governor in 2022 but didn’t receive the GOP endorsement to face Walz that year.
He said he was in the process of gathering his own recollections working with former Govs. Tim Pawlenty and Mark Dayton, as well as Gov. Tim Walz, when he decided to expedite the launch. Gazelka said he thought it was important for America to get a better sense of how Walz navigates crisis situations.
In particular, Gazelka focused on the responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and the riots following George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officers, who were later convicted of crimes associated with the death.
“The No. 1 reason I’m focusing on the book and saying people shouldn’t hire Tim Walz to be the VP candidate is he is a poor leader in crisis,” Gazelka said, adding, “You don’t get do-overs if it’s against China or Russia or Iran or North Korea, you’ve got to be able to make the right decision the first time and not many days after.”
Gazelka said he also recounts the positive working relationship he had with Walz prior to the pandemic. Along with DFL House leaders, the pair passed a balanced budget in 2019 and worked on a compromise solution to resolve problems with the state’s driver’s licensing and registration system.
While some are seeking out national attention, others said rebutting Walz is just part of the job.
“A good leader steps up into the moment that you’re given and answers questions and walks into that,” said House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring. “What that did is it really shine the light on who our governor truly was.”
Demuth said the TV spots have helped highlight the contest for the Minnesota House this fall as the GOP fights for the chamber majority.
Joe Teirab, a Republican running against Democratic Rep. Angie Craig in a district covering south metro suburbs and that reaches into farm country, is also bringing up Walz in his campaign. He also raised concerns about the governor’s response to the 2020 riots following Floyd’s murder. In national television interviews, the former assistant U.S. attorney has also highlighted the Feeding Our Future fraud case related to misspent federal COVID-19 nutrition aid.
“We need someone who’s going to back law enforcement, who’s going to support public safety and Tim Walz’s track record on that front is terrible,” Teirab said in a recent MPR News interview.
Walz has defended his response to riots, saying he was concerned about escalating tensions by sending a substantial contingent of law enforcement officers right away. His eventual deployment of the Minnesota National Guard was the largest since World War II, and it marked the state’s biggest in response to a protest or labor strike.
Walz’s record comes before Congress
Prior to his two elections as Minnesota governor, Walz served a dozen years in Congress. And his former colleagues are reminding him of the ways Washington blurs the line between policy and politics.
Now that he’s the Democratic vice presidential nominee, congressional Republicans have sought to brand Walz as “weak on crime” during a series of hearings. Last week, they called on conservative-leaning Minnesotans to testify. Former attorney general candidate Jim Schultz told a House panel that he felt Walz froze amid the riots.
“Here’s the question we all must ask,” Schultz said, “If Tim Walz can’t protect his own backyard, how could we possibly trust him to protect the entire nation?”
Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, said she’s concentrating instead on helping a national audience understand what a Harris-Walz administration would do for them. And that means focusing less on the past, she said.
“Americans are thinking about their lives and their families and their communities, their prosperity and their well being, and that's what they want us to focus on,” Murphy said. “And the rest of it is a kind of politics that just doesn't serve the people or their interests.”
Come November, Minnesota Republicans riding along on the Walz wave will know whether he’ll be back in their lives on a daily basis or if they’ll be seeing him off to Washington.