What Tim Walz Had To Say About Kamala Harris Losing The 2024 Election To Donald Trump

Tim Walz isn't mad, he's just disappointed. The wholesome midwestern father figure and governor of Minnesota opened up in early December 2024 about his and Kamala Harris' election loss to Donald Trump, and how he was feeling a month after their defeat. For Walz, Trump's definitive election night victory came as something of a surprise, considering the remarkable groundswell of support for the Harris/Walz ticket in the months leading up to the big day.

"It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in, that the momentum was going our way," Walz told local ABC affiliate KSTP on December 6. "So yeah, I was a little surprised. I thought we had a positive message and I thought the country was ready for that." It seems the country was not ready for Harris and Walz' message.

Harris became the Democratic nominee for president after President Joe Biden announced he would be bowing out of the race on July 21. Walz was announced as her running mate on August 6, to a great deal of fanfare and financial support from enthusiastic donors. However, when it came to election night, Trump and his vice presidential nominee, J.D. Vance, garnered enough support to secure an incontestable victory, raking in 312 electoral votes to Harris' 226.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was not on many pundits' short lists as a possible VP candidate when Kamala Harris was endorsed by Joe Biden and took over the Democratic ticket in July 2024. However, that didn't mean he didn't want the opportunity, and revealed to MPR News on July 22 that Harris had reached out about the possibility of wanting his help in the future. "She mentioned she would need my help. And I said she has it in any way that she sees fit, Walz said at the time. "If that's the direction she goes, I guess that's fine."

After Harris had whittled down her list of possible running mates, she was reportedly left with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Walz. However, it was Walz who seemed to have the best rapport with Harris. As an unnamed White House official told NBC News of Harris' pick, "You also have to ask yourself at some point: Is this someone you would want to have lunch with every week for four years?"

Walz' Midwestern charm and folksy personality made him popular among his party, and brought a lot of early hope to democrats that Harris could triumph over Trump in one of the most divisive and contentious elections of the past century. Unfortunately for the Harris/Walz ticket, the numbers didn't pan out. That being said, Walz is now back in governor mode, doing his best to guide his state, and he doesn't seem to have any nagging regrets. "Were there things you could have done differently? Since we lost, the answer is obviously yes," Walz told KSTP in December. "On this one, I did the best I could."