By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-06 16:47:08 | Updated at 2024-12-22 21:28:56
2 weeks ago
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz opened up for the first time where he shared that he was surprised by Kamala Harris' devastating loss in the 2024 president.
The vice president's running mate sat down for one-on-one interviews with two local Minneapolis TV stations where he spoke about the failed White House bid and what comes next.
Walz said leading up to the election, he felt that Democrats were headed toward a victory before the loss to President-elect Donald Trump, who ended up sweeping all seven battleground states.
'It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, at the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way,' Walz said.
'It obviously wasn't at the end of time, so yeah I was a little surprised,' he went on.
'I thought we had a positive message, and I thought the country was ready for that,' he told KSTP 5 Eyewitness News.
He called it a privilege to run, and he got to see so much of the U.S. after being asked to serve by Harris.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz reflected on the campaign with Vice President Kamala Harris and what went wrong in first interviews since election loss
As Democrats and political pundits debate what went wrong for the party in 2024, Walz was asked whether he thinks he helped or hurt the Harris ticket.
'History will write that. It wasn't my decision to make. That was the vice president's decision,' Walz said.
'As I've said, in this campaign when you ask the question are there things you could have been done differently? Since we lost the answer is obviously yes,' he added.
In a separate interview with FOX 9, Walz further reflected on being the running mate.
'I didn't try to get that job. I am proud of what I did. I think we worked hard. I think we made an impact,' he noted.
One of his takeaways from the election loss is to listen more.
Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally with Governor Tim Walz on August 6 in Philadelphia after announcing him as her running mate
Amid questions over why Americans moved further to the right and Democrats are being seen as the party of the elite, Walz said there is 'complexity to it' but acknowledged there were definitely electorate shifts.
'We're going to have to figure out, are we communicating? I think we're communicating the right way, but are we communicating in the right spaces? Are we communicating to where people are at and where they're listening to?' Walz asked.
Walz, who became governor in 2019, was asked in the interviews about future plans including whether he wants to run for reelection or is perhaps interested in a Senate bid.
The 60-year-old said it's too early to decide. On seeking another term, he said it depends on if people of Minnesota want that.
On whether he would be interest in returning to Washington as a senator after previously serving in the House, Walz said it has never been a goal for him.
Walz with wife Gwen, daughter Hope and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff watching Vice President Harris concede the 2024 presidential eleciton
Since the election loss, Walz has been back in Minnesota where he has been focused on his job as governor where he faces an uphill battle since entering the national spotlight as a vice presidential nominee.
The governor now has to address his state's budget and work with state Republicans after a nasty campaign season.
'I think our politics have gotten really difficult, a presidential campaign is brutal and this one was particularly ugly,' he acknowledged, but he said they have to get the state budget done.
'I would just end with what I've learned out there which is that things are pretty good in Minnesota,' he said.
