Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s next move: Energizing Democrats in South Carolina and California

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will seek to energize activists at Democratic state conventions in South Carolina and California on Saturday, as the party’s 2024 vice presidential nominee works to keep up the high national profile he gained when Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate.

Walz, a former schoolteacher who went to Congress and then became his state’s governor, will keynote the South Carolina gathering in Columbia, traditionally a showcase for national-level Democrats and White House hopefuls. Another leader who often appears on those lists, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, spoke Friday night at the party’s fundraising dinner.

South Carolina held the first Democratic presidential primary of the 2024 campaign, and the party hopes for a repeat as first in line in 2028. But the national party organizations haven’t settled their 2028 calendars yet, and party officials in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada are also vying to go first.

“From the classroom to the governor’s office, Tim Walz leads with compassion and common sense,” the South Carolina party posted on social media earlier this month when it announced his appearance. “He’s proof that you can govern with both heart and backbone, and he’s bringing that message to South Carolina.”

Walz, who’s on a long list of potential 2028 candidates who have been traveling to early-voting states, will also be a featured speaker as California Democrats gather in Anaheim on Saturday.

“We’re fired up to welcome Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to the Convention stage in Anaheim,” state chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. “He’s a former teacher, a veteran, and a trailblazer who’s spent his career fighting for working families and standing up for the values we all share — fairness, dignity, and opportunity for all.”

Democrats have been debating since Harris lost to President Donald Trump in November over which direction the party should take. That self-examination reflects deep frustrations among Democratic voters that their leaders are failing to put up enough resistance against Trump, who has taken a much more aggressive approach to his second term in the White House.

Walz hasn’t officially said if he’ll seek a third term in 2026, but acknowledges he’s thinking about it. He said in a after he calls a special session of the closely divided Minnesota Legislature to finish work on the state’s next budget. Those negotiations have gone slowly despite his frequent meetings with legislative leaders.

He’s given mixed signals on a 2028 presidential run while keeping up his attacks on Trump. He told The New Yorker Radio Hour for an interview that aired in March that he would “certainly consider that” if circumstances were right. He told CNN’s “State of the Union” last month that he was “not thinking about running in 2028.”

But he hasn’t ruled it out, either, and has signaled possible interest in other ways.

Following the Democratic ticket’s defeat in November, Walz returned to the road in March when he went to Iowa to launch a series of town halls in competitive congressional districts represented by Republicans, after House Speaker Mike Johnson advised GOP representatives to avoid holding town halls because of protests at them.

Walz’s gubernatorial campaign organization, which has been actively raising money, has used his travels in “Support Tim on the Road” fundraising pitches.

“For the past few weeks, I’ve been showing up where Republicans won’t,” he wrote in one recent message. “I’ve hosted town halls in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Texas to hear from people the GOP is neglecting.”

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