Sturdevant: Returning his primary focus to the governorship, Walz enters the bonus zone

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It’s bound to feel “weird” (to swipe a Walzism) for Tim Walz to settle back into the Minnesota Capitol’s gubernatorial suite.

For 92 days — between Aug. 6 and Nov. 6 — Walz energetically angled to occupy a different workplace. He convinced plenty of Minnesotans, and maybe even himself, that he would shortly decamp to the vice president’s quarters in Washington, D.C., and that his old digs would get a new nameplate: Gov. Peggy Flanagan.

Far be it from me to minimize the unique nature of Walz’s return to full-time duty as Minnesota’s governor. Hyping uniqueness is one of the things old journalists do best.

But I’ll don my Minnesota historian’s hat for a moment to observe that in a few weeks, Walz will mark six full years as governor. And for much of this state’s history, a six-year gubernatorial run was as good as it got.

Minnesota’s governors served two-year terms between statehood’s start in 1858 and 1962, when a constitutional amendment providing for four-year terms went into effect.

No limit on the number of terms was made. That means that a governor who enjoyed the voters’ favor could have served for eight, 10, 12 or more years.

But until the 1980s, none did. The governors with storied names — Pillsbury, Olson, Stassen, Youngdahl, Freeman, the Anderson Minnesotans called Wendy to distinguish him from the one called Elmer — all served six years or a bit less.

Their reasons for leaving office varied. I doubt that Floyd B. Olson would recommend his exit mode, orchestrated by the Grim Reaper. But Olson evidently thought that six years was long enough to be governor. He was planning to run for the U.S. Senate when he died in August 1936.

A case can be made that one reason Wendell Anderson opted in 1976 to engineer his own appointment to the U.S. Senate — a move now deemed a monumental political blunder — was that he believed that his governorship was coming to its natural end. He had been in office for nearly six years.

Does coincidence explain all those six-year governors? Perhaps. But spending six years in any top leadership role can seem like a full cycle. Staying on the job after year six requires a renewal of mission, purpose and energy. It might call for a sabbatical — perhaps an intensive three-month tour of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

The governor who broke the six-years-and-out pattern was Rudy Perpich, a breaker of many molds. Perpich served 10 nonconsecutive years, and would have stayed longer if voters in the 1990 election had not had other ideas.

Since Perpich, the state has had three eight-year governors — Arne Carlson, Tim Pawlenty and Mark Dayton. Each of them left office of his own volition. Each struggled to sell their ideas in years seven and eight, with varying success.

Walz would do himself and his constituents well to examine those four governors’ late-tenure stories. He’ll find both cautionary tales and ideas to emulate. For example:

• Be visionary. It was during the last of his three terms that Perpich most often described his “brainpower state” vision. He set out to make Minnesota a state known for its best asset, a well-educated, productive workforce. It’s a powerful idea that is as well-suited to Minnesota today as it was 40 years ago.

• Nurture the University of Minnesota. Perpich, Carlson and Dayton all drew closer to the U late in their terms. Pawlenty has been a U champion as an ex-governor. The longer they served, the more they recognized that a governor has a special responsibility of stewardship for the state’s higher education/research flagship.

• Keep the books balanced. Both Perpich and Pawlenty made fiscally risky moves in their late tenures, handing their successors an immediate need to either cut programs or raise revenues, disappointing voters. Whether or not he plans to seek a third term in 2026, Walz has a duty to keep the state on a steady fiscal course in the “out years.”

• Focus on this state. Many Minnesotans were proud when their governor was tapped for the Democrats’ presidential ticket. But many also remember less fondly how a flirtation with presidential ambition distracted Perpich, and how Pawlenty appeared to tailor his actions to satisfy national Republican kingmakers in 2009-10.

Walz comes back to the State Capitol after intense exposure to presidential campaign limelight. In coming months, he might find himself craving more.

He should know this: The best way for him to stay relevant in national politics is to be seen as one of the nation’s best governors. He should reject history’s hint that his governorship has run its course — or that the likely 67-67 partisan tie in the Minnesota House in 2025 means his opportunity for gubernatorial achievement has come to an end.

Governing Minnesota is about to become more challenging. But Walz can bring to years seven and eight enough experience to know something about turning challenge into opportunity.

Lori Sturdevant is a retired Star Tribune editorial writer and author. She is at lsturdevant@startribune.com.