Democratic Party is at risk of becoming 'roadkill,' warns Tim Walz [View all]

The Minnesota governor unleashed harsh language during appearances this weekend, in the clearest signs yet that he is weighing a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/05/31/tim-walz-democrats-2028/

https://archive.ph/tFfo4


Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made coast-to-coast appearances on Saturday, ending the day at the California Democratic Party's 2025 state convention in Anaheim. (Damian Dovarganes/AP)

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz harshly critiqued the Democratic Party and its failure to connect with the working class in coast-to-coast appearances on Saturday, warning in a speech here in California that the party is at risk of becoming “roadkill” after its steep losses in the 2024 elections.

In one of the clearest signs yet that he is seriously weighing a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028 after serving as Kamala Harris’s running mate in 2024, Walz spent the morning addressing Democrats in the early primary state of South Carolina before dashing across the country to close out a gathering of state party delegates in Anaheim.

Walz acknowledged that his prominent role as the vice-presidential nominee during last year’s election put him in an awkward position to suggest revamping the party’s message. But on Saturday, he argued that his party has “strayed from our North Star” as a champion for the working class. Democrats needed to “be honest” about their failings because the 2024 loss of the White House and both houses of Congress has created major consequences for the most vulnerable people in the country.

During both appearances, he encouraged Democrats to match President Donald Trump’s tough tactics and worry less about offending people. While he hails from a state known for “Minnesota nice,” he argued that Trump is motivated by “cruelty and corruption” and that the GOP’s proposed cuts to health care, education and food assistance programs warrant a new approach.

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