In Tim Walz’s home city, opposing groups watch him debate on the national stage

MANKATO – Two watch parties Tuesday night just a six-minute drive apart illustrated the divide among Minnesotans in this year’s election.

The dueling gatherings to watch Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz debate Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance on the national stage came with only five weeks remaining until Election Day for presidential candidates Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump and their running mates.

The Democratic watch party included about 100 supporters at the Loose Moose Saloon in downtown Mankato. The Republican watch party drew about 80 and took place at the Kato Ballroom nearby.

Attendees at the two events spoke of the high stakes of the debate, possibly the last televised matchup of this year’s presidential election between two politicians not well known nationwide.

While Minnesotans are familiar with Walz, Tuesday’s debate served as his introduction to America. In early August, about 4 in 10 Americans said they didn’t know enough to have an opinion about Minnesota’s governor, according to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Since his selection, he has become a national figure, with Jim Gaffigan now playing him on “Saturday Night Live.”

Republicans at the Kato Ballroom said they were very familiar with Walz, who previously served as representative for largely rural Congressional District 1, which includes Mankato. While most there declined to give their names to reporters, common themes included a desire for Vance to “make Walz look silly” because of their dislike of him and his policies.

“We’ll know when Tim Walz is lying: when his lips are moving,” said local U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, who with fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber of the Duluth area, spoke to the crowd before the debate.

Democrats at the Loose Moose Saloon included former students of Walz, who taught geography at Mankato West High School and served as an assistant defensive football coach there.

Dan Feehan, a surrogate for the Harris-Walz campaign, narrowly lost a congressional race to replace Walz in the House in 2018 to GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn. He said the first call his family got the morning after that election came from Gwen Walz, who asked about Feehan and his wife, Amy, and invited them to visit.

“This is the chance for the rest of the country to know who he is as a person,” Feehan said.

DFLers were in high spirits as the night kicked off. “We are going to kick butt in this debate and then moonwalk out of here!” State Sen. Nick Frentz, DFL-North Mankato, said to a cheering audience before the debate.

When the back-and-forth commenced, attendees at the Democratic event clapped as Walz attacked Trump over Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities and booed when Vance critiqued the President Joe Biden administration’s stance on Iran. Applause erupted when Walz said, “We trust women; we trust doctors,” while boos rang out as Vance talked about earning trust on abortions.

Attendees at the Republican event jeered when Walz spoke about his stances on health care and immigration policy. Annette Pruitt-Rogers, who came to Mankato from Le Sueur, Minn., yelled “Don’t go there!” when Walz quoted a Bible verse on stage. She said she disapproved of Walz’s invoking scripture, calling it a touchy subject because she opposes his stances on same-sex marriage and abortion.

Walz and Vance debated at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, with no audience.

At the Republican watch party, the room became animated when Walz admitted he “misspoke” in claims that he was in China during the Tiananmen Square protest in Hong Kong, saying he was “a knucklehead” at times who got caught up when speaking about the protests. The admission led to a loud clamor and waves of clapping, with one man doubling over in excitement.

At the Democratic event, the room appeared to deflate a bit at Walz’s answer. “He biffed that a bit,” Rachel Mueller of Mankato said. “I think that was a bad answer.”

The loudest round of boos at the Democratic watch party came when Vance said Trump peacefully transitioned the presidency. Other reactions included jeers for Vance pinning the blame of the housing crisis on immigrants, and cheers for Walz’s remarks about saving the Affordable Care Act.

Republicans leaving their event said they were giddy at what they saw was the outcome of the debate. “I’m hoping everybody sees that JD Vance won,” said Daryl Wilson, a student at Minnesota State Mankato. A group of other area college students said Vance seemed “assertive” while Walz to them was “scared.” Attendee Sadredin Moosavi, who said he used to be Walz’s neighbor, said he thought the governor seemed “flustered” and “thin-skinned” when the debate didn’t go his way.

Democrats said Walz held his own and hit his stride as the debate went on. Wendy Atherton-Stoen, of Elysian, Minn., attended her first political watch party Tuesday after she was invited by a co-worker. She said she thought Walz was very authentic and “down to earth” during the debate compared to Vance.

“[Vance] looks for arguments that will play well for him,” Atherton-Stoen said. “He’s not always consistent; I don’t trust what he’s saying.”

Preston Meyer of Nicollet said he thinks the debate will come down to the memes people share online.

”That’s really what undecided voters will be looking at,” he said. “We’ve already seen the debates having a big impact on the race.”