By admin 
In the friendly confines of a high school auditorium on Friday, Tim Walz delivered the final speech of his 2024 campaign for vice president and the first speech of the remainder of his second term as governor of Minnesota.
Part swan song, part state of the state address, the DFL governor tried to keep his supporters inspired — despite the disappointment this week — and reached out to the people who voted against Vice President Kamala Harris and him.
He gave every indication that he plans to be involved in the legislative process next year, without specifically referring to the tied House of Representatives that ended the DFL’s governing trifecta. But he also said he will try to be more open-minded toward political opponents.
“It’s difficult. It’s hard to lose,” he told an audience that frequently interrupted his remarks with applause. “It is difficult to understand why so many of our fellow citizens, people for whom we have fought so long and hard, have ultimately chosen the other path.
“So if you’re feeling deflated and discouraged today, I understand,” he said. “Take your time, take care of yourself, take care of your loved ones, take care of your community. And get back into this fight when you’re ready. And know that when you are ready to dive back into that battle, I will be here, ready to do battle with you. Because even in the face of defeat and deep disappointment, I have never felt so inspired. I have never felt so motivated. I have never been so excited about what is possible in this country.
Walz thanked Harris for choosing him as her running mate and for running a campaign he described as “upbeat and strong.” But he did not mention President-elect Donald Trump by name, only as the other side or opponents.
“I know a lot of people are concerned about the next four years and what they’re going to look like,” Walz told invited DFL elected officials, campaign staff, cabinet commissioners and Eagan High School volunteers. “I’m one of them. The agenda that we have heard from the other side of this campaign is very different from the agenda that you know is right for our state and our country.
“We know what’s coming down the pike,” he said. “We know because they told us. And we will have to be ready to defend the progress we have made in Minnesota.” Walz said he will join Trump in his rhetoric that certain issues should be left to the states.
‘I’m willing to take their word for it. But once they try to bring a hateful agenda into this state, I am ready to stand up and fight,” he said. And in a series of clauses beginning with “As long as I’m governor of Minnesota…” Walz said he would defend reproductive rights, welcome immigrants, fight climate change, defend children’s right to go to school without worrying not have to worry about gun violence, respect democracy and stand up for working people ‘regardless of who they voted for’.
Walz said 1.5 million Minnesota voters voted for Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance “and while there may not be a place in our state for the most extreme elements of that agenda, there should be a place in our politics should be heard by everyone.
“Sometimes we can be quick to judge people who disagree with us, assuming they are acting out of cruelty, fear or self-interest,” Walz said. “I don’t think that kind of judgment is helpful at this point and I don’t think it’s right. I think we have to – and I’m talking about myself – swallow a little pride and try harder to find common ground with our neighbors who didn’t vote the way we did.
“Maybe we won’t agree on many issues, maybe we won’t agree on any issue, but maybe when the campaign signs come out we’ll all get a little break from the rhetoric, a little break from the TV ads and the fundraising “We will be able to look at each other and see not enemies, but neighbors, and sit down over a cup of coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew and just talk,” Walz said.
“As for me, as governor I’m going to try even harder to do that,” he said. “No one has a monopoly on good intentions or good ideas.”
First Lady Gwen Walz, who also spent many days campaigning, introduced her husband with a speech in which she called on those present to continue fighting for their issues.
“I understand how we are all feeling today,” she said. ‘And believe me, I have fought many battles and often fallen short. And losing stitches. And it’s okay to feel sad, scared, and a little surprised if I’m honest, and give yourself the grace to grieve what could have been.
“So now, more than ever, that important work continues because we have a responsibility to keep this port, this special place of Minnesota, safe, inclusive and strong,” the spokesperson said.
And she joked about her husband’s frequent campaign cheers that he and campaign staff could “sleep when we’re dead.”
“As some of you know, I am more moderate. I think now that the election is over, we can take a quick nap,” she said. “But then we get straight back to work.”