Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will swing through Wisconsin on Tuesday as part of a national town-hall-style tour of battleground districts to put pressure on Republicans who have stopped holding in-person meetings of their own.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to swing through Wisconsin on national town-hall-style tour of GOP districts
The two-term Democrat and former vice presidential nominee has left the door open to a possible future national run.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 18, 2025 at 11:30AM
The Eau Claire stop is Walz’s third town hall in the past week and comes as the two-term Democratic governor and former vice presidential nominee has left the door open to a possible future national run.
“The future of our party, our policies, and our message are out there in red and blue districts all across the country,” Walz posted on X over the weekend. “I’m going to go listen.”
Part listening session, part political rally, the events have given Walz plenty of opportunities to take jabs at the Trump administration, criticizing mass layoffs in the federal workforce and cuts to agencies such as the Department of Education.
So far, Walz has fielded largely friendly questions from Democrats at his first stops in Iowa and Nebraska. He plans to hold town halls in Minnesota in the coming weeks.
Tuesday’s town hall is in western Wisconsin’s Third Congressional District, which is currently held by Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden. Van Orden won a second term in a tight race for re-election last fall.
GOP leaders nationally have advised members not to hold in-person meetings. Van Orden has been critical of the people showing up to town halls, saying on social media there’s “nothing organic about the agitators running around the country disrupting Republican events.”
A high-profile race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court has also become a proxy for the national battle between Democrats and billionaire Elon Musk, who has poured millions into backing conservative Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the race.
Walz is expected to talk about Musk and the Supreme Court contest in his remarks Tuesday.
The governor made his debut as former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate at a rally in Eau Claire last August and frequently campaigned in the battleground state last fall.
Walz is openly considering running for a historic third consecutive term as governor of Minnesota and hasn’t shut the door on a possible presidential run in 2028.
In his first stops, Walz said he wants to be a voice for the Democratic Party speaking out against Trump’s and Musk’s actions.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Republicans and Democrats fighting for control of the Wisconsin Supreme Court will get a sense Tuesday of how energized their sides are with the start of early in-person voting for the hotly contested race.
