Months after a bruising 2024 election loss, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) is owning up to the shortcomings of the Harris-Walz campaign, particularly its cautious media strategy and failure to connect with voters. In a candid Politico interview published March 9, 2025, Walz admitted the campaign played it too safe, a misstep he believes contributed to Vice President Kamala Harris’s defeat.
Walz pointed to the compressed timeline after President Joe Biden’s withdrawal four months before the election, but argued the campaign should have embraced riskier moves like town halls over limited press engagements.
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“We shouldn’t have been playing this thing so safe,” he said. “I think we probably should have just rolled the dice and done the town halls, where [voters] may say, ‘You’re full of sh*t, I don’t believe in you.’” He likened the approach to a “prevent defense” in football, noting, “We never had anything to lose because I don’t think we were ever ahead.”
The campaign’s reluctance to engage mirrored a broader Democratic hesitancy with media, Walz suggested. Some former Harris aides agreed, lamenting that Walz was “put in a box” and underutilized.
Others, however, pinned the caution on his shaky media performances, notably his vice presidential debate against JD Vance.
A former staffer told Politico that Walz’s “never-ending supply” of flubs—especially his fumbling response on past China travel—made him a liability. “I don’t look back and think the way we used Walz was a critical error,” the staffer added.
Insiders described Walz as rattled leading up to the debate, with one calling him “super nervous” and “in his own head.” His uneven showing fueled doubts about his readiness for the national stage, a critique that lingers as Democrats dissect their 2024 rout.
Despite the loss, Walz is mulling a 2028 presidential bid. “I’m not saying no,” he told Politico, signaling openness to future runs. “I’m staying on the playing field to try and help because we have to win.” His reflections come as Democrats grapple with rebuilding, with Walz’s critique of the campaign’s timidity sparking wider party debate about voter outreach and messaging.
Whether Walz can rebound from 2024’s setbacks to lead in 2028 remains uncertain, but his latest comments suggest a shift toward a bolder approach—and a potential reentry into the national spotlight.
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