Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been thrust into the national spotlight after being named Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Despite holding public office for nearly two decades, he’s still got very little national name recognition.
The Post spoke to voters in several key swing states to get a pulse of what they think about the liberal former high school teacher and National Guardsman turned governor. The feedback highlighted how many Americans remain unfamiliar with Walz, with many of their criticisms centered around the idea that Walz is weird.
“I know he is the governor of Minnesota, but not much else,” said Kunal Lobo, a recent physics Ph.D. graduate in Tucson, Ariz. “I briefly looked him up on Wikipedia but there wasn’t much. He seems pretty generic.” To Kunal, Walz’s obscurity and lack of distinctiveness felt weird.
Susan Groff, 69, a retired teacher in Phoenix, found Walz’s Midwest roots appealing, seeing him as more of a small-town guy than a big-city politician. She suggested that this might help him connect better with people in fly-over states. However, others in Arizona, a key swing state that President Biden won by just 0.3% in 2020, found Walz’s past actions weird and concerning.
“He let Black Lives Matter riots destroy Minneapolis,” said Christian, 23, a nursing student in Phoenix. Recalling the violent protests that erupted following George Floyd’s death in 2020, Christian described Walz’s handling of the situation as weirdly ineffective, pointing to looted stores and a lack of police action.
In Ohio, the home of Trump VP pick Sen. JD Vance, voters who had heard of Walz had some colorful commentary. “I knew who Walz was, but he will help Trump win. Walz makes Tim Kaine look exciting,” said Reggie, 32, a policy worker in Columbus. Reggie labeled the choice of Walz as weirdly uninspiring.
Gary, 29, a Trump supporter from Cleveland, recounted a chance encounter with Walz at Minnesota’s Mall of America. “Hell no he ain’t helping Kamala win. She is cooked. Trump is back, my guy, and I can’t wait because my gas will be $1.80 again and we will all have more money in our pockets.” Gary’s sentiment reflected a belief that Walz’s presence on the ticket was weirdly ineffective.
North of the Buckeye State, Michigan voters were split in their opinions, but even those critical of Trump had never heard of Walz. “I don’t know who the f–k Tim Walz is, but anything is better than Trump, so go off, Tim!” said Alicia, a 28-year-old veterinary student and Harris supporter in Lansing.
Sabrina, a single mom working at a checkout counter outside Ann Arbor, had no idea who Walz was. “No, who is that? Oh, no, I don’t think I have ever heard of him,” she said. The general unfamiliarity with Walz seemed weird to many.
Other swing state voters called out the Harris campaign’s use of the word “weird” to describe Trump voters—a trend attributed to Walz—as unnecessarily divisive. “I’m not familiar with his track record,” said David Kapanke, 65, from Wisconsin. “He’s been less noteworthy to me than most blue-state governors and Midwestern red-state governors,” he added, implying that Walz’s lack of impact was weird.
Jim Braughler, 50, from Wisconsin, was baffled by Harris’ decision to choose Walz. “He brings nothing but disastrous George Floyd riots, a state of only 10 electoral votes which has consistently voted for a Democratic candidate since Nixon, and more of the far-left views outside of the typical American beliefs,” he vented, labeling Walz’s political stance as weirdly extreme.
At a Vance rally in Philadelphia, many people were not well-versed about the freshly minted 2024 VP candidate. “We thought maybe she would go with Josh Shapiro, and we were looking to see the news. So we don’t have any background on that, but we’ll do our homework to see what’s going on,” said one attendee.
Brian Shine, 46, from Phoenixville, Penn., dismissed Walz’s criticism of Trump supporters as weird. “I don’t know what’s weird about a man like JD, who married a great woman and had three wonderful kids. He served his country in the Marine Corps. There’s nothing weird about that. Walz’s idea of normal is men having babies, importing 12 million illegals, and letting cities burn to the ground. That’s not normal,” he said.
In rural Mesquite, Nevada, Patricia Holding felt the “weird” label was unnecessarily divisive. “I don’t know if weird is the way I would describe Republicans,” she said. “I mean, both sides have good points and bad points. That’s why I’m undecided at this point. We gotta unite the country somehow.”
As the campaign progresses, it remains to be seen how Americans will ultimately perceive Tim Walz. For now, the consensus among his critics seems to be clear: Tim Walz is weird.