Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) is launching a new federal PAC aimed at boosting Democratic support in rural areas.
Walz’s new Small Town PAC will look to recruit new Democratic candidates in small towns, supporting them in hopes of picking up seats across the country, according to Politico, which first reported the news. Walz took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance, of rural, small-town Ohio, in his announcement.
“Republicans like JD Vance like to portray their small-town neighbors as petty, resentful, and small-minded. I disagree. I think the problem facing small towns are Republicans like JD Vance,” Walz told the outlet.
Walz, who ran against Vance in 2024, when the Minnesota governor was former Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, has taken heat in the past several months over Minnesota’s fraud scandal. Walz dropped his re-election bid for a third term as governor after facing scrutiny over his handling of the rampant welfare fraud under his administration.
Vance has become the face of the Trump administration’s fight against fraud in the wake of the Minnesota scandals, with President Donald Trump tapping the vice president to lead an anti-fraud task force. The fraud conversation has pitted Vance and Walz — two politicians cut from rural cloth — against each other in recent months.
“The problem facing many small towns in Minnesota is that Tim Walz gives their money to fraudulent daycares,” a Vance spokesperson told Politico.
MINNESOTA HOUSE SCRUTINIZES WALZ’S FRAUD PREVENTION PLAN: ‘WHERE’S THE ACCOUNTABILITY?’
Walz told the outlet that the PAC will look to recruit teachers, nurses, laborers, vets, and younger Americans from small towns “who can represent their communities better than Silicon Valley can.”
When Walz dropped his gubernatorial re-election bid, he vowed to “never again” seek political office. With his term ending in January 2027, Walz’s PAC could be his workaround to maintain influence ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
