Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is not running for a third consecutive term in office, and has told WCCO Radio's Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar he has no interest in running for a different office when he term comes to an end after this year.
But Walz did maek an announcement Monday morning, and it is related to politics.
Walz is launching the Small Town PAC (political action committee) which he says will look for the next generation of leaders made up of teachers, nurses, veterans, laborers, and young people in small towns across the country.
"Let’s build a party that invests in small towns and delivers a message that resonates with rural America," the site quotes Walz.
Walz adding that small towns have become divided, and largely ignored by Republicans like President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, who he says are willing to sell out communities and working families for their own political and financial gain.
“When Democrats stop showing up in certain places, somebody else fills the void," Walz said in an announcement. "I think there’s a better path. It starts by taking small towns seriously. It starts by respecting people enough to tell the truth. And it starts by building power in places too many folks in politics have given up on. … If we want to build a stronger Democratic Party, we’ve got to be willing to show up, listen, organize, and compete in more places."
WCCO Political Analyst Blois Olson said Monday he thinks this is a sign Walz enjoyed his travels both running for Vice President in 2024 on the Democratic ticket, and the town halls he hosted in rural areas following the election.
"It sounds like he's going to be visible in rural parts of the country for Democrats," Olson said. "I think this just goes to show that he really likes being out on the road. He really enjoyed running for vice president and he wants to try to be a factor in these future races. So we'll see."
As for any prospects Walz would end his term early, with this announcement coming with so much time left in his second term, Olson says there's almost no chance that happens thanks to a chilly relationship with his Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan.
"I think that raises questions that Minnesotans are starting to ask, because if he left early, that would make Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan the governor," Olson said. "Ryan Faircloth had a story in the Star Tribune over the weekend about the fact that those two don't talk, and I think that's going to become more of an issue over and over. For instance, Flanagan did not know he was not running for reelection. He never gave her a heads up call. He did not invite her to the internal meeting about it."
Olson says the rift between the two is real - and it's deep.
"So, I don't think he could leave office because I think that would raise more questions about who's in charge of the state, which, by the way, if he's on the campaign trail this fall and she's running for the U.S. Senate? I think will be raised anyways," Olson adds.
“When Democrats stop showing up in certain places, somebody else fills the void"
“When Democrats stop showing up in certain places, somebody else fills the void"
