In South Carolina, Walz says Democrats ‘need to change the attitude’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz brought a fiery, populist message to South Carolina this weekend as he sought to pump up Democratic voters and keep his own name in the national political spotlight.

At a Friday night fish fry thrown by longtime U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, a powerful House Democrat, a T-shirt-clad Walz spoke of rigged systems, “wannabe dictators and despots,” and slammed the “corruption and the cruelty that’s happening under Donald Trump’s watch.”

Walz carried the aggressive tone into Saturday’s keynote address at the state’s Democratic Party convention, saying it was time for Democrats to “be a little meaner” and stand up to what he called the president’s bullying.

“When it’s an adult like Donald Trump, you bully the shit out of him back. You push back,” he said.

Walz paired the combative rhetoric with a call for Democrats to reach out directly to conservative voters. He said the party in 2024 focused too closely on seven swing states and ignored conservative strongholds like South Carolina, Texas and Florida.

Republican rule has hurt people in those states, he argued, and Democrats need to take their message — and their policies — to them.

“We need to change the attitude, compete in every district, compete for every school board seat,” he said in his Friday remarks.

Before his speeches, U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina attacked Walz and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who also spoke at the event.

“Must’ve taken a wrong turn looking for a mask mandate and tampons in the men’s room,” Mace posted on social media. “South Carolina isn’t buying what they’re selling.”

Walz was scheduled to speak Saturday at the California Democratic Party’s annual state convention in Anaheim.

The governor’s brief adventure across the country helps keep his national profile high after his unsuccessful vice presidential bid last year with Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. He’s expected to seek a third term for governor and has said that he would “certainly consider” a run for president.

Walz did not directly mention his own plans in his South Carolina speeches. But both states on his itinerary this weekend are important in the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination process. South Carolina held the Democrats’ first primary in 2024, and California typically sends the most delegates to the party’s national convention.

Walz is among a number of possible Democratic presidential contenders who are visiting early primary states, holding town halls and making the rounds on national podcasts.

Meanwhile, the governor and Minnesota lawmakers remain unable to pass a state budget before adjourning this month. Lawmakers have negotiated budget bills, mostly in private, over the past few weeks.

Before he went on the road, Walz told reporters that his trip wouldn’t slow work at the Capitol. Negotiations are mostly complete, he said, and bills will be drafted over the weekend so legislators can reconvene the following week in a special session to pass them.

There’s urgency, Walz said, to finish budget work quickly and avoid a partial government shutdown on July 1.

“There’s so much uncertainty right now, and we don’t want to add to that,” he said.

Alex Plechash, chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, called Walz’s comments inflammatory and beneath the dignity of his office. He called for the governor to return to the state.

“Instead of working to prevent a government shutdown and addressing the urgent needs of Minnesotans, he’s out of state trying to salvage his failed national ambitions by attacking others,” Plechash said.

Asked about the potential impact of Walz’s travels, Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth told reporters Thursday she wasn’t even aware of the governor’s trip but that legislators would carry on. “We’re working hard,” she said.

Allison Kite and Ryan Faircloth of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.