Capitol View for August 21

There has been no bigger stage for Tim Walz than the one that awaits him Wednesday night. Minnesota’s two-term governor, who shot into the national political picture only weeks ago, is the featured speaker at the Democratic National Convention as he accepts the nomination for vice president. Clay Masters caught up with the governor as he made the rounds in Chicago, sounding still a bit shell-shocked by his sudden rise. Walz will have a large audience in the arena and millions more watching at home as he introduces himself and draws a contrast with the Republican presidential ticket.

Walz might be relieved he didn’t go last night, when the two Obamas were the ones at the microphone . Former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama had a homecoming to their party convention in their shared hometown. And you could hear the echoes of the Obama years, from Michelle’s early remark that there is a “contagious power of hope” and “America, hope is making a comeback. Her “do something” call and response is the kind of rallying cry a party strives to build a convention around. Barack Obama pulled out some of his oldies too: “I am feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go” and “don’t boo, vote.” He sketched out a portrait under a Kamala Harris administration and drew a contrast with Donald Trump, her opponent and a fellow former president. Both Obamas were intent on leaving their party with marching orders, noting that the race will be tight and the energy in place now might not stay as intense when the chips are down. A third former president is on tap before Tim Walz speaks, the notoriously verbose Bill Clinton. It’ll be interesting to see when Walz will make it onto the stage.

Harris and Walz took a short break from the DNC to campaign in Milwaukee yesterday. It was a convention-week detour ahead of their acceptance addresses and underscores how the road to the White House runs through Wisconsin. It’s one of a half-dozen or so critical states on the map. While Harris and Walz were gone, the convention held a “celebratory” roll call of the states to reaffirm the nominations that the Harris-Walz ticket already had. The two beamed in from an event in Milwaukee after the vote concluded. In Chicago, it was like an after-hours dance club. Lil Jon descended upon the stage, rapping as the Georgia delegation cast its votes — people were waving head placards of Harris and Walz — and Lil Jon tailored his soundtrack to sub in the names of the ticketmates. Other states put forward star power, too: Spike Lee (New York), Eva Longoria (Texas) Sean Astin of Goonies and Rudy fame (Indiana) and Wendell Pierce, who played Bunk in The Wire among his many roles (Louisiana). Among Minnesota’s vote callers was John Randle, the former Minnesota Vikings lineman. It was notable that Minnesota’s 10 “present” votes were the most of any state delegation.

Earlier in the day, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance traveled to Kenosha, Wis. for a press conference focused on crime and public safety. When asked by reporters how he is preparing for the debate against Walz, Vance said , “I found a good friend from back home who embellishes and lies a lot, and I’m having him stand in for Tim Walz.” Vance said kidding aside, he’s focused on policy related to safety, affordability and quality of life issues. Walz has downplayed his own debating skills when defending the performance of President Joe Biden in June’s debate, which helped knock Biden out of the race. “I've had bad debates, too,” Walz said then.

Walz and his wife, Gwen Walz, provided more details about their experience with fertility treatment and explained that it wasn’t IVF. Dana Ferguson reports Gwen Walz shared more details about the couple’s experience with intrauterine insemination with national publications. The Walz family first began sharing their story early last spring, following an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that limited in vitro fertilization services (IVF). In interviews and public speeches, the governor has said the couple got pregnant through IVF and suggested that the Alabama ruling could have prevented them from having their two children. Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign said the governor previously called the treatment IVF to make it more easily understandable to a general audience, but the two treatments are distinct. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said it was the latest example of Walz stretching his record.

As Walz prepares to take the stage at the DNC today, some Minnesota Republicans are sounding the alarm about his gubernatorial record. Republicans in the state note Walz’s shift from a moderate Democratic congressman to a champion of progressive policies as governor. Ellie and Dana spoke to some state leaders yesterday. Minnesota GOP Chair David Hann slammed Walz’s handling of the riots that broke out after the murder of George Floyd and his tax and regulatory policies. “There's little doubt that the direction that they want to take the country is to somehow turn us into some kind of socialist paradise, which I've never seen exist anywhere,” Hann said. Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, said voters in his district have doubts about Walz. “Greater Minnesota has really felt left out over these last two years, with a metro-centric Democratic Party really dictating the agenda for the rest of the state,” Rasmusson said. “You have two very progressive politicians trying to become president and vice president and what does that mean for middle America?” Hann said the late change in the Democratic ticket has also re-energized Republicans in Minnesota eager to vote against Walz.

In the first Minnesota poll since Walz joined the ticket, Harris maintains a slight lead. Harris leads former President Donald Trump by 6.9 percentage points in the latest poll of Minnesota likely voters. This lead is just within the poll’s margin of error, meaning that technically the race could be tied. It could also mean that Harris’ lead could be even larger. This poll comes after four other public polls of Minnesota voters conducted since Biden’s withdrawal all show Harris leading Trump in the state.

Minnesota saw a historically low primary voter turnout according to newly certified numbers. Now, organizers are trying different strategies to get more people to the polls in November when turnout will be considerably higher no matter what. Erica Zurek reports that 12 percent of eligible voters (15 percent of registered voters) participated in the primary. The Secretary of State’s Office as well as groups new and old that promote voting have launched their fall efforts to keep Minnesota among the state’s with the highest turnout.