As veepstakes consume Washington, Walz still in the running

WASHINGTON — The veepstakes continued this week as contenders to be Kamala Harris’ running mate reportedly have met with Harris campaign staff for key interviews.

But Gov. Tim Walz continued to avoid questions about whether he’s been part of the vetting process, although it seems he’s still under consideration.

“I’m not interviewing for anything. I am who I am and I put it out there,” Walz said Thursday at a press conference in Bloomington.

Walz admitted that he is being “looked at,” but credited the attention to the progressive policies the Minnesota Legislature has recently approved — and the governor signed into law.  

Citing unnamed sources, NBC reported that Walz had been interviewed by the Harris campaign for the VP job. So have Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the network said.

Politico and Bloomberg had previously reported that Shapiro and Kelly had been vetted. 

Former Vice President John Nance Garner once cautioned President Lyndon Johnson that the vice presidency was not worth “a bucket of warm spit.” And Donald Trump this week said vice presidents “have virtually no impact” on the results of a presidential race.

But in Washington, D.C., the potential Democratic vice-presidential candidates are under white-hot scrutiny, with every utterance, appearance and social media post dissected and every campaign statement parsed for an indication about whom Harris will pick. Rumors fly, there are friendly wagers among journalists (some of whom are closely tracking Las Vegas betting odds) and scoops based on anonymous sources are the order of the day.

Harris plans to hold her first rally with her vice-presidential pick in Philadelphia on Tuesday, then the pair plan to barnstorm seven swing states, hitting western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, North Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

So, her choice for a running mate must be made before them.

A Walz spokesperson confirmed that the governor will attend a Harris campaign event in New Hampshire on Sunday. Walz has scheduled a “Rural Americans for Harris” Zoom call on Tuesday evening, the same day Harris plans to hold her rally with her new running mate. The governor also plans to attend Farm Fest in Minnesota on Wednesday, when Harris plans to tour swing states with her vice-presidential choice.

But Walz’s schedule is not set in stone.

Walz‘s background, including his 12 years in Congress, has been part of the vetting process. In 2006, Walz won election to Minnesota’s 1^st Congressional District, defeating a six-term Republican and positioning himself as a moderate who sometimes bucked the party line.

There is one rebellious vote the then-congressman may now regret casting. Walz was one of just 17 Democrats in June 2012 who voted to hold U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over some documents requested by GOP lawmakers that pertained to the “Fast and Furious” operation.

In that operation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) allowed illegal gun sales to track the sellers and purchasers, who were believed to be connected to Mexican drug cartels.

Holder is now leading the vice-presidential vetting committee for the Harris campaign.

FEMA help for Minnesota storm victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency this week ramped up federal help for Minnesotans who were victims of this year’s severe storms and flooding.

FEMA determined that 19 counties hit by massive flooding from June 16 to July 4 can now apply for grants — which do not need to be repaid — to cover the cost of the damage to their homes and primary vehicles that has not been covered by insurance.

The counties covered by the declaration include Blue Earth, Cook, Cottonwood, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue, Itasca, Jackson, Lake, Le Sueur, Mower, Nicollet, Nobles, Rice, Rock, St. Louis, Steele, Waseca and Watonwan.

Homeowners and renters can also apply for grants to pay for temporary housing, if they are still dislocated, and for reimbursement for hotel and other expenses they may have incurred because of the storms.

Other storm-related expenses would be covered, too, including childcare expenses, medical bills and moving and storage costs related to the storm.

At the end of June, FEMA issued a disaster declaration for 22 Minnesota counties affected by the storms, but that declaration only provided aid to losses suffered by state and local governments and certain nonprofits.

Losses suffered by Minnesota’s farmers are not covered under either declaration. Farms are considered businesses and farmers would need to apply to the Small Business Administration or the U.S. Department of Agriculture for disaster aid. Damage to a farmer’s home, however, would qualify for a FEMA emergency grant.

FEMA urged Minnesotans who qualify for the help to go online to DisasterAssistance.gov, download the FEMA app or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362.

“Getting help to those who need it most is our priority,” FEMA said in a statement.

The agency also said that recovery teams will soon be out in the neighborhoods affected by the disaster to provide one-on-one support to individuals, and recovery centers will also open for individuals to get additional in-person help.

FEMA also said additional counties may be added to the declaration if warranted.

This and that

Donald Trump’s rally in St. Cloud last weekend raised U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer’s star in GOP circles, even if it may not have boosted Trump support in the state much.

Not only did Trump choose to visit Emmer’s congressional district, but the congressman who represents the 6^th District introduced Trump and his newly minted running mate, Sen. JD Vance, to an enthusiastic crowd.

Trump also gave Emmer a number of shoutouts during his 90-minute speech, calling the congressman he derided last year as a “globalist RINO,” a “good friend,” and a “great hockey player.”

After Trump said he would “save the Iron Range” by eliminating a 20-year sulfide mining moratorium on 225,378 acres of Superior National Forest, he also called out to Emmer.

“Together, Tom, we will turn the Iron Range into a mineral powerhouse like never before,” Trump boasted.

In the wings was U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-8^th District, who represents the Iron Range and has sponsored legislation that would lift protections on the watershed that feeds the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and has led efforts in Congress to expand mining in Minnesota.  

Emmer’s embrace of Trump, who last year derailed Emmer’s bid to become House Speaker — and the former president’s new, positive assessment of the lawmaker — is a career booster in the Trump-dominated GOP. That could falter if Trump does not win the White House again, but the MAGA movement is likely to live on.

Meanwhile, Minnesotans who have taken the lead in making the bald eagle the national bird, had a victory this week.

You thought it was already the national bird? Nope.

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved legislation co-sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, as well as two Senate Republicans, that would officially turn the iconic eagle into the national bird.

“The bald eagle is a symbol of our country’s freedom and strength. In Minnesota, we are proud to call ourselves home to one of the largest populations of bald eagles in the country as well as the National Eagle Center in Wabasha,” said Klobuchar in a statement.

Rep. Brad Finstad, R-1^st District, who has sponsored similar legislation in the U.S. House, lauded Senate approval of the legislation.

“It is past time that the bald eagle is rightfully recognized as the national bird,” Finstad said in a statement. “I am happy to see that this legislation has passed in the Senate, and I look forward to its passage on the House Floor.”

In case you missed it:

-We took a close look at Trump’s hopes of winning Minnesota, which hasn’t voted for a Republican presidential candidate since Richard Nixon’s landslide win in 1972.

-We had a story this week about the influential supporters of Gov. Tim Walz’s bid to become Kamala Harris’s vice-presidential candidate, which include young gun control advocates and those who served with him in Congress.

-And what if Tim Walz is selected as Harris’s running mate? What happens then and who would govern Minnesota? MinnPost answers those questions, too.

Your questions and comments

A reader, who said he’s moved from Arizona, sent this in:

“Looks like Minnesota is going for Trump. Do you think the riots and Kamala’s Freedom Fund will have an effect on Minnesota voters? From an outsider’s perspective, it looks like the far left liberals are destroying Minnesota. What do you think?”

Well, the latest poll indicates Harris has a commanding lead over Trump, but polls are just a snapshot in time. Still, Minnesota has not voted for a GOP presidential candidate since 1972.

And another reader weighed in on Trump’s speech in St. Cloud on Saturday night.

“Here’s my take on any Mr. Trump and company rally. Statement… fact check false  … statement …fact check false …..statement …fact check false, et al.”

Please keep your comments, and any questions, coming. I’ll try my best to respond. Please contact me at aradelat@minnpost.com.

Editor’s Note: Ana Radelat wrote this “D.C. Memo” story for MinnPost.com. Radelat is MinnPost’s Washington, D.C., correspondent. 

This article first appeared on MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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