A return to VP visibility for Minnesota

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale have long stood atop Minnesota’s political pantheon. No one from the state has ever been elected to the presidency. But Humphrey and Mondale both served with honor in the nation’s second-highest elected office as vice presidents, respectively, to Lyndon B. Johnson and Jimmy Carter.

With President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he will not run for re-election, there’s a chance another Minnesota leader could ascend to this elite group. Current Vice President Kamala Harris has reportedly won the support of enough delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee. Now the party’s ticket needs someone to join her.

Among the candidates floated as a possibility: current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, now serving his second term as the state’s CEO.

That’s a welcome development, in our view. It would be both historic and an honor to have another Minnesotan in a national leadership role. In addition, the Midwest is too often overlooked in Democrats’ political calculations, a reality that underestimates the region’s economic contributions and the pragmatic leaders that heartland voters often choose.

Republicans, to their credit, have consistently tapped Midwestern talent. Trump recently chose Ohio Sen. JD Vance as his running mate this year and in 2016 chose Mike Pence of Indiana. In 2012, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney selected Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was also a top contender to be John McCain’s potential VP in 2008, losing out to Alaska’s Sarah Palin.

For Democrats, you have to go all the way back to Mondale’s selection in 1976 to find another Midwestern vice presidential pick. Former President Barack Obama, of course, was from Illinois (though born in Hawaii). We’d point out that he won both his races, underscoring the appeal of having a capable Midwesterner on a presidential ticket.

The Star Tribune’s political reporters have asked Walz whether he’s being vetted as a potential VP pick. Walz’s response was neither “yes” nor “no,” which of course only deepened speculation.

“I’m not going to talk about the specifics that we’re in on that. At this point in time, we’re just going to leave it at that,” Walz said Tuesday.

But as always, actions speak louder than words. Walz’s recent media appearances suggest that he’d like the job and is auditioning for it.

The Minnesota governor is darn near unavoidable to anyone following political coverage. Among his many appearances: “PBS NewsHour,” MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and Fox News. He’s been an able, high-energy prosecutor of the political case against the Trump ticket, with a talent for delivering zingers.

On “Morning Joe” recently, Walz, who represented southern Minnesota in Congress and grew up in a small Nebraska town, poked fun at Vance’s rural America bona fides. He noted correctly that Vance is a venture capitalist and has a law degree from an Ivy League School. “None of my hillbilly cousins went to Yale,” Walz noted, drawing a laugh from news hosts.

Walz then smoothly pivoted to concerns about women’s rights and reproductive health care choices, a key issue in the campaign now that the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. Trump’s crass treatment of women and remarks that surfaced recently of Vance deriding Democratic politicians as “childless cat ladies” only add to these worries.

Republicans, Walz joked, seem to be running for “the He-Man Women’s Hater Club,” a dated but still humorous reference from the Little Rascals “Our Gang” TV series.

Adding momentum to Walz’s VP chances: The Minnesota governor has gotten under Trump’s skin. The former president griped on his Truth social media account that Fox had booked Walz for an interview. If you’re aiming to be VP on the Democrats’ ticket, drawing the former president’s ire is a feature, not a bug.

There are more-serious reasons why Walz is under consideration for a national leadership role. Among the achievements we’d guess that Harris’s team is evaluating:

• A historic investment in Minnesota’s children. In 2023, Walz pushed for and legislators enacted a new child tax credit that may be one of the nation’s most far-reaching. As the Star Tribune Editorial Board has noted, the measure covers one of the broadest age ranges — through age 17 — in the nation, and the $1,750 maximum credit may be one of the largest amounts offered.

• Free school meals for K-12 students, regardless of income.

• Minnesota is an island for reproductive health care, with rights strengthened during Walz’s tenure even as nearby states imposed sweeping restrictions.

• Walz led the state through the COVID-19 pandemic, with skills from his tenure as a Mankato teacher valuable in explaining this public health threat and the actions needed to contain it. A 2022 editorial looked at key metrics, such the death rate and economic performance, to evaluate the state’s handling of this public health crisis. It concluded that Minnesota bested many states.

Walz’s 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard is also an asset. So is his previous experience in Congress. He was first elected in 2006 and became a prominent advocate for veterans.

If Walz is named as Harris’s running mate, there will be additional scrutiny of his record, with questions likely about the Feeding Our Future scandal and unrest after George Floyd’s murder. This editorial is not an endorsement. It should also be noted that the Star Tribune’s publisher previously served in the Walz administration.

Walz faces stiff competition for the job, with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly considered front-runners. Minnesota’s measly 10 electoral votes also augur against Walz.

Harris’s team can and will pick whoever can best help with a win. For now, however, it’s intriguing to consider the potential for another Minnesota vice president and see the Midwest get some of the political consideration it’s due from the Democratic Party.