Minnesota’s Democrats are seeing an influx of new volunteers and cash following the announcement that Vice President Kamala Harris will run for president this year.

The DFL raised over $200,000 in the two days after Harris threw her hat in the ring when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race earlier this month. The Harris campaign raised $126 million nationally in three days.

The increased cash was also accompanied by a record-breaking 600 new volunteers, something that is directly tied to Harris’ name on the ticket, according to DFL Chair Ken Martin.

“The energy not only is palpable, it’s just off the charts,” Martin said.

The fresh batch of volunteers is largely comprised of people new to campaigning who want to elect the first woman president, Martin said.

“With just 100 days left (until the election), it’s just a remarkable difference, to be honest with you, on where we were just a week ago,” he said.

The excitement Democrats have over Harris as their nominee is especially intensified in Minnesota, where speculation over Gov. Tim Walz as a potential vice presidential candidate has been the talk of the town.

While Walz has largely acted as a surrogate for a Harris presidency run, he did tell Minnesota Public Radio News that he is open to the idea of being her running mate.

However, a spokesperson for the Walz administration said that his focus is on his current job.

“The governor is excited that Minnesota is receiving national attention for passing a historic legislative agenda. While he plans to do everything he can to defeat Donald Trump in November, he remains focused on his job as governor,” the spokesperson said.

Walz has garnered some support for a potential run as vice president, most notably from U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who endorsed him on the social media site X on Wednesday.

A Harris-Walz ticket would draw a good comparison to the Republican ticket, Martin said, adding that this year is an existential election and Harris represents “the future of not only the Democratic Party, but the future of America.”

Former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, became the Republican nominees just before Biden decided to drop out of the race.

While the Harris campaign has requested vetting material from Walz, they have also asked for material from several other possible picks who either have a higher national presence, like Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, or from governors in states considered more at risk to flip Republican, like Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

At this point, who Harris will pick to join her ticket is speculation, but Democrats are likely to hold a virtual call to select a presidential nominee next week, which would likely follow with an endorsement for vice president.

The fact that polls in Minnesota have shown a tight race means that Harris will have to find a way to shore up those votes in a state that has not voted for a Republican since 1972, says Paul Gazelka, a longtime Republican legislator who was the Senate majority leader from 2017 to 2021.

“You have a lot of folks in Minnesota in the middle,” he said. “They’re just common folks that want their government to work and they don’t like extremes. Not extreme left, not extreme right.”

Some of the decisions Walz has made as governor, like how he handled the George Floyd uprising in 2020, or the millions of dollars in fraud with government programs under his watch, may be liabilities for him as a national candidate, Gazelka said.

“I would definitely be somebody to point out some of his weaknesses, but from Harris’ vantage point, I’m not so sure she would consider some of those (to be) weaknesses,” he said.

Martin listed marks in Walz’s favor as a VP running mate, including Walz’s prior military service and work as a teacher, coach, 12-year congressional member and two-term governor.

“Most importantly … is the fact that he has gotten a lot done for Minnesota in his time as governor, and I think he’s got a great record of success to share with the American people of how he’s governed the state,” Martin said.

Walz has received praise from supporters, both in the state and nationally, for more progressive legislation passed in the state, which includes free breakfast and lunches for school children and solidifying the right to an abortion in the state.

“I think (Walz) can talk about these things in a very folksy way in terms of his populist agenda,” Martin said.

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Phillips, not Walz, for VP

The murmurs that Gov. Walz is being vetted as a possible vice presidential  candidate for the Democratic ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris is a credit to him, as head of the national group of Democratic governors, and the state.

But he’s the wrong Minnesotan.

It ought to be Dean Phillips.

The Third District member of Congress, retiring after three terms, had the courage to run a lonely campaign against President Biden in the primaries. While quite unsuccessful, he had the prescience to question the mental acuity and physical fitness of President Biden while nearly everyone else in the administration, media and outside of MAGA world were saying “nothing to see here,” denying or ignoring the warning signs that ultimately surfaced in the debate and led to his withdrawal from the race.

The prescience of Phillips, in addition to his fortitude, warrants consideration for second spot on the Democratic ticket.

Phillips would also bring some solid credentials to the race. As one of the 62 members of the bipartisan Congressional “problem solvers,” he has a moderate streak that may appeal to that sliver of Republicans and larger number of independents who might be inclined to vote for a Harris-Phillips ticket. He has shown he can attract those segments of the electorate by flipping a red district  that had not elected  a Democrat for more than 50 years and resoundingly winning there two more times. His business background also helps tamper down actual and perceived liberalism at the top of the ticket and could help in the key battleground states in the Midwest, including Minnesota, which now has been catapulted into that category.

Phillips has not been mentioned as a veep candidate and, unfortunately, probably will not be favored by the elites who run the party.

But he ought to be given serious consideration if the Democrats can continue to get and keep their act together.

Marshall H. Tanick, Minneapolis

 

Just the way it is

If the last couple of years have taught us anything, it is that as Americans (politicians in particular), it is our God-given right to disparage, trash talk, bad mouth, belittle and discredit our opponents. This will last as long as they are rivals.  The minute they become the victor, they are now our hero, better than sliced bread. They are no longer the pond scum they were just a day ago.  Now they are your best friend (you hope).  That’s just the way it is.

Teresa Hafele, Forest Lake

 

They hid the truth

I find it hypocritical and abhorrent that the Democratic Party with the media’s help covered up Biden’s cognitive ability to perform and lead for at least the past two years. They were running a candidate who they knew was not able to serve the country. Only since Trump and Biden’s public debate, when Biden showed he was not able to lead, did the Democrats leak the truth through the media that they had been hiding, and pressured him to step down, as they felt he could not win. They did not do this for the good of the country; they thought they might lose their majority in the Senate, and ultimately their seats in the future and ultimately their power. They were elected to represent the best interest of the citizens that elected them. If they loved and cared about the United States they would not have lied for the past several years, putting the United States in jeopardy, here and abroad. Their behavior has been reckless, dangerous, and shameful. Think about this in the voting booth.  Also, think about who has actually been running this country during Biden’s term. It certainly has not been Biden on his own.

Vicky Moore, North Saint Paul

 

Make your vote count

I was shocked and energized at the same time to learn that President Joe Biden had decided to not seek reelection. Shocked in the sense that, I didn’t see this coming just three months before election. And shocked because he’s a great leader and I felt like he was being pushed out by those calling him to step down. I am grateful that the president is a selfless leader who has shown his commitment, courage, integrity and sacrifice to do the right thing for the people.

As much as I was shocked, I was also encouraged and energized. I have been secretly hoping, praying and wishing for someone younger to step up, someone  between ages 35 and 60. There’s been some obsession of some older men wanting to control women’s bodies and some wanting to be president for a while now. I’ve had enough of it. I don’t have anything against those over 60, or men for that matter, I believe times have changed, we need to adhere to the changing times as well as know that women know their bodies better.

It’s time for the younger generation to take responsibility to lead in all aspects of government and beyond. This is our chance to fight for democracy, and make sure we do everything possible to protect our democracy because if we lose it, we will not see it again in our lifetime.

Like many voters I wasn’t too excited for a rematch of 2020 but I was going to vote for President Biden. With this new shift, the little time we have, I am once again excited and eager to talk politics, because we have a clear choice. I encourage everyone to take this opportunity, mobilize and make your vote count as there’s so much at stake in this election.

I am hoping that the Vice President gets the nomination. She has my support.

Carren LaBrasseur, St. Paul

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