Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is going to Republican districts to hold town halls, starting in Iowa

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is hitting the road this weekend on the first leg of a national tour to hold town halls in Republican districts where representatives aren’t holding public meetings of their own.

Walz will be in Windsor Heights, Iowa, on Friday, which is represented by Republican Rep. Zachary Nunn, according to a spokesman for the governor. He’ll be in Nebraska on Saturday in the district of Republican Rep. Don Bacon. Both representatives won in competitive races for re-election last fall.

The governor, who raised his national profile last year as the Democratic vice presidential nominee, also plans to host town halls in Wisconsin, Ohio and in some of Minnesota’s four districts represented by Republican members.

Walz first floated the idea of showing up in conservative districts in a post on X last week, responding to a report that national Republicans had advised their members to avoid town hall meetings.

Some Republicans have faced public backlash over moves from the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency to slash the federal workforce and spending.

“If your Republican representative won’t meet with you because their agenda is so unpopular, maybe a Democrat will,” Walz posted. “Hell, maybe I will. If your congressman refuses to meet, I’ll come host an event in their district to help local Democrats beat ‘em.”

Since his 2024 loss, Walz has positioned himself as a voice for the Democratic Party in response to the Trump administration. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has also traveled to states for events in the wake of the 2024 presidential election, and Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy has positioned himself as a combatant to Republicans nationally.

Walz is openly considering seeking a third term as governor of Minnesota in 2026 and has left the door open to a national run in 2028, though he downplayed a possible presidential candidacy in announcing the town hall tour.

Walz told MSNBC that if Democrats don’t show up and talk to people “Donald Trump, all the podcasts, all the money will fill that void.”

“I hope people show up at that town hall and say, ‘look governor, what are you offering? Are you offering anything better?’” he said. “That’s fair, but to turn your back and not do it, it’s dangerous.”

Walz said he will make the case for why voters in the districts should support Democrats instead of Republicans. The Iowa Democratic Party is fundraising off of Walz’s visit. Tickets have already sold out to the first town hall.