By nominating Minnesota Democratic Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, Vice President Harris chose an affable man with a keen father-joke zeal and the energy of a “nice Minnesota.”
But Walz’s time in the House of Representatives reveals another side: He is a shrewd tactician, able to survive in coarse political waters while other Democrats are in danger of drowning, and who, when the moment calls for it, will pursue his goals with a massive hand.
These qualities were evident not only in his tactful votes that helped him hold on to his contested seat, but also in his rise to become the ranking Democrat on the Veterans Affairs Committee, where he outshone a senior member in a power play rarely seen in the Democratic caucus.
According to sources, Harris’s ambivalent nature – a personable Midwestern woman and an uncompromising political fighter – likely played a major role in her selection as vice presidential candidate, a position that traditionally comes with the dual role of party cheerleader and attack dog.
Walz’s allies say he is perfectly suited for the job.
“It reminds me of Harry Truman. He says, ‘We’re going to beat those Republicans and make them like it,'” said Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.). “Tim Walz is the guy who’s going to beat the Republicans and make them like it.”
Takano is in a good position to know that.
As the incumbent ranking member of the Veterans Affairs Committee in 2016, it was Takano’s turn to permanently fill the seat after former Rep. Corrine Brown (D-Fla.) resigned. amid a corruption scandalIn fact, the group rules provided for such a transition.
Instead, Walz challenged Takano – a infrequent occurrence in a faction that relies heavily on seniority – won the support of the party leadership and pushed him out of the race.
“There was a lively competition for the permanent position, and I had received considerable support,” Takano said, recalling the episode eight years later. “But it was clear that the leadership really wanted Tim. And I generously stepped aside for the sake of the unit.”
The campaign was “never acrimonious,” Takano stressed, and Walz quickly made a peace offering by bringing Takano in to assist the panel. This episode showed not only how ambitious Walz was, but also that he was able to climb the corporate ladder while maintaining good relations with those he defeated along the way.
After Walz left Congress to lead Minnesota, Takano took over as ranking congressman and said Walz paved his rise by lobbying other lawmakers on his behalf.
“This was only possible because Tim helped me close the deal,” Takano said. “And in that respect, I consider him a mentor of sorts.”
Former Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.), who chaired the Veterans Affairs Committee when Walz was ranking member, recalled working well with the Minnesotan on the committee – but noticed an ideological shift in Walz.
“Tim and I, on a personal level, got along great. That was true,” Roe said, recalling Walz’s passionate work on the issue of suicide and veteran mental health.
“I noticed that he took a sharp left turn when he became a candidate for governor,” Roe said
Roe was surprised that Walz opposed a sweeping Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reform bill known as the MISSION Act, which former President Trump signed into law in 2018. The law was in part a result of years of work by Congress to address the 2014 scandal at a VA hospital in Phoenix, where officials were accused of maintaining secret waiting lists, with some veterans dying while waiting for appointments.
Walz, who was running in an open primary for the Democratic nomination for governor, was one of 70 Democrats in the House of Representatives who oppose the bill – and the only member of the Veterans Affairs Committee to do so.
Walz said in a Statement at that time that he was concerned about the long-term financial sustainability of the bill and that it would “give the Trump administration the backing it needs to slowly privatize the VA.” Walz did not take the vote against the bill lightly, he said.
Roe said that while Walz’s vote did not change their relationship, he “would have felt better if he had voted for and supported the bill” given the length of time the committee had worked on it.
“After looking at how he governed, I suspect he was probably more liberal than I thought. That certainly wasn’t the case for me until 2017,” Roe said.
Roe noted that Walz faced other pressures in his competitive district ahead of this primary.
“His voting habits were an example of that, because you had to go home and explain your votes,” Roe said.
Although Walz was often a team player, he was also aware of the dainty electoral challenges in his rural, Democratic-leaning district, leading him to take a number of pragmatic positions that put him at odds with his Democratic colleagues.
Despite his initial support for the Affordable Care Act in 2010, he voted five years later for a bill to eliminate the excise tax on medical devices. He later boasted that he had defied the Democratic National Committee’s recommendation not to talk about the health care law’s “weak points.”
“I said, ‘I can’t do that because I’m failing my constituents in so many ways,'” Walz said at an event, according to a clip released by the Republican Governors Association as he seek the governorship in 2017.
On environmental issues, Walz received praise from the left for his efforts as governor to sign and advance climate-related legislation. But he had some low ratings from the League of Conservation Voters as his votes in the House were tallied. He left Congress with a lifetime rating of 75 percent with the group, taking a hit for votes on issues such as supporting the GOP-led Forest Management Act in 2015. against the rules of the Obama era to expand the reach of the Clean Water Act, and in 2017, he was one of 25 Democrats to vote for a proposal to weaken the Clean Water Act’s protections against pesticide emissions.
Walz was also one of only 17 Democrats in the House of Representatives who voted with the Republicans in 2012 To charge Eric Holder, President Obama’s attorney general, with contempt of Congress for withholding documents related to the Justice Department’s Fast and Furious program, a botched crackdown on drug smuggling that resulted in the death of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
Walz’s penchant for opposing his own party in Congress helped him win five successful reelections in a traditionally Republican district that has been held by Republicans since he left Capitol Hill. His victory in 2010 was particularly notable: That year, just months after passage of the Affordable Care Act, Democrats lost 63 seats — and control of the House — in a landslide election that was essentially a referendum on Obama’s health care reform.
Walz, who voted for ObamaCare, survived the cycle – in the eyes of his allies, another example of a unique political wisdom that has defined virtually his entire career in public service.
“He had to be a smart and capable, competent congressman to represent his constituents, but at the same time stick to the big issues like the ACA. The ACA was the Big Kahuna,” Takano said.
“In 2010, a lot of Democrats were wiped out – a lot of Democrats. But Tim still held his own. … That, I think, is an example of his tremendous ability to build trust with his voters,” he added.
“He’s very direct. People understand him. And it’s very hard not to like him.”
