Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Vice President Kamala Harris‘s running mate, is grappling with why so many people voted for President-elect Donald Trump this Tuesday.
During his own concession speech in Minnesota on Friday, Walz told a crowd of supporters it is “hard to lose.”
“I just want to acknowledge the moment,” Walz said. “It’s hard to understand, why so many of our fellow citizens, people that we have fought so long and hard for, wound up choosing the other path. It’s hard to reckon with what that path looks like over the next four years.”
Similar to speeches from Harris and President Joe Biden, Walz encouraged dejected supporters to keep going.
“So if you are feeling deflated, discouraged today, I get it. Take some time. Take care of yourselves,” Walz said. “And get back in this fight when you are ready. And know that whenever you are ready to get back in that fight, I will be standing right here, ready to fight with you.”
For Walz, his 3 1/2-month campaign with Harris taught him that voters sought “security” but in broader terms than Trump’s foreign policy, immigration, and other national security policies.
“They want to feel like their life is built on a solid foundation that won’t collapse under them if the wind blows the wrong way or something happens,” the governor said. “People want an opportunity where they feel like they can get ahead, not just settling to get by.”
He added, “And I think most of all, and you saw it in a very deep way, people want freedom to live their lives the way they want to live them.”
Walz acknowledged the need to swallow his “pride” after Trump is on track to sweep all seven battleground states and Republicans regained control of the Senate and likely retain their majority in the House. In Minnesota, Democrats control the Senate, but the House majority remains undecided.
“I think sometimes we can be quick to judge people who don’t agree with us, to assume that they act out of cruelty, or fear, or self-interest,” Walz said. “I don’t think that kind of judgment is helpful right now, and I don’t think it’s right.”
He continued, “I think we ought to swallow, and this is me in this as, I’m speaking about myself, swallow a little bit of pride and look a little harder to find common ground with our neighbors who didn’t vote like we did in this election.”
Although Walz was mostly reflective, the man who termed the word “weird” this election cycle to describe Republicans also took the opportunity to issue one final criticism of his Republican counterpart, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
“I’ve gotten to see an awful lot of America over the last three months, more than I ever thought I was going to see,” he said. “I’ve made many new friends. I’ve learned a lot of new things. I ate way too much local food, but I can order donuts.”
Vance was mocked for an awkward interaction he had at Holt’s Sweet Shop in Valdosta, Georgia, in September.
“A lot of glazed here, some sprinkle stuff. Some of these cinnamon rolls. Just whatever makes sense,” the senator said at the time.
On Friday, Walz opened his speech by thanking Harris for “the faith” that she placed in him and “for the powerful and joyful campaign that she ran.”
Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz echoed her husband, calling Harris a “remarkable leader” who would have been a “remarkable president.”
“Losing stings,” she said. “It’s OK to feel sad and scared and a little surprised, to grieve what could have been, but moments like this ask us to reflect on what matters most, to reflect on what it is that we are fighting for.”
Gwen Walz told supporters of Harris and her husband in Minnesota that they have “a responsibility to keep this haven, this special place, Minnesota, safe, and inclusive, and strong,” encouraging them to “take everything we’re feeling, our fear, our fatigue, our frustration, and let us use it as our fuel.” The governor had been scrutinized during the campaign for his liberal policies in the state, including an education bill that mandated the provision of free menstruation products in public schools.
The Walzs’ remarks come after their daughter, Hope, similarly addressed this week’s loss, admitting in a viral TikTok video she has “officially reached the point of anger.”
“This country does not deserve Kamala Harris,” the 23-year-old said. “That woman should go live her best life wherever she wants, doing whatever she wants, because we don’t deserve her at this point.”
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Harris delivered her own concession speech on Wednesday at her alma mater, Howard University, the afternoon after Trump earned the 270 electoral votes required for the presidency that morning.
“I concede this election; I do not concede the fight that fuelled this campaign,” she said. “The fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness and the dignity of all people, a fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation.”
