Amid VP speculation, Vikings fan Tim Walz worries about losing the Packers vote

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited Vikings training camp on Tuesday and playfully conceded the Packer votes this fall, should Vice President and likely Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris select him to be her running mate in this year’s race against former President Donald Trump.

Asked if he’ll pretend to like the archrivals from Green Bay to garner votes in the battleground state of Wisconsin, the lifelong Vikings fan smiled and said, “No. I’ll lose those votes I think in Wisconsin.

“I’m Vikings all the way so I might not help in that swing state,” Walz said.

Walz then showed some NFL knowledge, calling the NFC North Division “the one” in the NFL this year.

“I’m personally glad to see the Lions playing well again,” he said. “I’m not glad that they’re winning the division [last season], but it’s good that they’re going to be competitive. If you come out of this division, you have a good chance to go.”

Asked to predict the Vikings’ record, Walz didn’t sidestep. He was more optimistic than most of the prognosticators, but he fired off a quick answer:

“Eleven games,” he said. “Plug your ears, Vikings fans. I think we win 11.”

An 11-6 record would likely be good enough for a return to the playoffs after missing last season. So, governor, what’s your prediction for the postseason?

“Ask me that later,” he said. “I’ll wait to see how healthy we are and [predict] again. … We’ve got an offense that’s clicking more. We’ve got speed like nobody else does. So, seven wins last year and we were close in a few of those. I think it’s worth four more [wins] this year.”