Focus at Four: Minnesota broadcaster talks about years leading up to Gov. Tim Walz’s VP candidacy
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – After Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was announced as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election, some questions have come up around Walz’s background. KBTX spoke with a member from our Minnesota sister station who’s been there for all of Walz’s big moments leading up to VP Harris’ announcement.
Dion Cheney, an evening anchor at KEYC, a Gray Television station in Mankato, Minnesota where Walz was a school teacher before going into public service.
“Our current governor is currently in his second term. He was first elected in 2018 and before that, he served in Congress for six terms. He was elected to Congress in 2006 and he managed to flip a district that had been a Republican district for six terms,” Cheney outlined.
Per Cheney, Walz has been effective when speaking for the past few weeks.
“He’s been on a lot of shows and he seems to speak in a way that’s very plain-spoken, and I think that that’s what they’re looking for, is somebody who can sort of speak to regular folks and present issues in that way,” said Cheney.
Walz had to deal with multiple tumultuous events in Minnesota during his first term, including the pandemic and riots, for which he received criticism.
“He did manage to run for reelection in 2022, and not only did he win, his party secured a trifecta in the state legislature in both the House and the Senate, and they proceeded to pass a very robust agenda that they deem is very progressive,” Cheney added.
