By Kristen Kukowski, RealClearPolitics
Tim Walz grew the state budget from $44 billion to $70 billion in six years, squandered a $19 billion surplus into a deficit despite Minnesotans overwhelmingly wanting tax cuts, raised taxes by $10 billion, increased state spending by 40%, adopted California emissions standards, increased government mandates and regulations including high-stakes vacation policies, welcomed illegal immigrants and gave them driver’s licenses, and established Minnesota as a sanctuary state – these are just a few of his accomplishments.
The waste, fraud and abuse of the Walz Administration shows what his leadership will bring to Washington, D.C. He failed to provide government oversight for the massive Feeding Our Futures scandal, and another Walz Administration program is under investigation by the FBI for possible fraud. The program grew 3,000% in just a few years.
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Minnesota has begun to follow in California’s footsteps as a liberal stronghold in the Midwest, and neighboring states have benefited from it. In two years, Minnesota has lost more than 50,000 residents, not to warmer states like Florida, but to Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas, all of which boast much friendlier economic policies and a lower cost of living. According to data from the Internal Revenue Service, Minnesota has lost $2.1 billion in income transfers, a loss that is likely to accelerate if Walz-approved taxes on corporations and high-income earners go into effect.
Two years ago, Tim Walz ran for reelection as an unpopular incumbent governor. COVID-19 and Walz’s response were fresh in our memories. At the same time, Minneapolis and surrounding cities were literally burning after the murder of George Floyd galvanized the police budget defunding movement, and our governor showed no leadership during that time.
When Walz first ran for governor, he positioned himself as a former educator and goofy legislator with bad dad jokes. Now he has a criminal record. Many thought he’d be a one-term governor. What happened is a testament to Republican Minnesota graciousness.
I’ve been involved in Republican politics for a long time, through the Republican National Committee and campaigning in Minnesota and across the country, and I’ve never seen a more futile effort to replace an unpopular incumbent Democratic governor than the re-election of Tim Walz in 2022.
As governor, Walz maintained COVID-19 emergency powers for 400 days, said nothing as Minneapolis burned after the death of George Floyd, watched crime rates reach record highs as Democrats encouraged a radical anti-police movement, imposed the fifth-highest taxes in the country, and saw more people leaving the state than moving in. And then he was re-elected.
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Two lessons from the 2022 election cycle have helped Tim Walz emerge as a vice presidential candidate.
First, he was re-elected almost singlehandedly through a flawed nomination process that the Minnesota Republican Party is determined to protect at all costs.
There were a lot of very qualified Republicans who could have run against Tim Walz in 2022. Instead of one of those candidates being nominated, a candidate who was unelectable statewide was nominated through the convention nomination process, which allows thousands of far-right Republican delegates to make the decision on behalf of the public.
Because of a gentleman’s agreement that candidates would “honor their endorsements” and withdraw from the primary after their convention, there was no actual primary where other Republican candidates could have a say in the nomination, which unfortunately left Minnesota with a false choice: Tim Walz, who wasn’t as moderate as he pretended to be, or someone who was automatically labeled an extremist.
The second lesson is that the passive-aggressive Minnesota press let Tim Walz go. They allowed Walz to speak in double-dealing terms, making him appear someone he wasn’t. They allowed Democrats to completely reshape the size and scope of Minnesota’s government, without limits.
He should not get the same treatment nationally that he got in Minnesota. As many of us would say, it will be his turn in the barrel to be questioned from all sides. This will be the first time he is put to the test.
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Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Waltz’s approval rating was 65%. In 2021, that rating has fallen below 50%. It’s now at 48%. The reasons for this are many and need to be examined for all Americans to understand.
Walz and Kamala Harris are doing their best to navigate married life, and I don’t blame them. National Democrats will find themselves with one of the most untested and liberal candidate slates they’ve ever seen. Walz’s former district is made up of the exact same voters who currently oppose him, and their voting behavior is very similar to that of western Wisconsin.
Now we will see if Donald Trump can have the restraint to expose it.
Kirsten Kukowski is a former spokesperson for the Republican National Committee and communications director for former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker during his 2016 presidential campaign. She runs the public relations firm K2 & Co., based in Minnesota, where she lives and works.
Distributed with permission From RealClearWire.
