Minnesota’s congressional delegation reacts to Walz VP news at Farmfest

Farmfest is typically a critical campaign stop for Minnesota politicians attempting to garner support among rural voters, and the first day Tuesday coincided with Gov. Tim Walz’s selection as the vice presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket.

A handful of audience members booed when Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota’s 2nd District was asked to comment on Walz’s selection as the Democrats’ vice presidential candidate. 

“I knew I was going to get some reaction to that (question),” Craig said, laughing. 

“Not everybody in this room is going to agree with him on all the issues. I’ve been at enough Farmfests to know this,” she continued. “But you’re not going to find a Democrat in the country who knows more about ag issues.”

In Congress, Walz served on the House Committee on Agriculture beginning in 2007. He was involved in the drafting of major farm bills, which are typically passed every five years and provide subsidies to farmers and food aid to families. He’s long been a supporter of biofuels. He worked with Midwestern Republicans to push the EPA to allow sales of E15 year round, which the Biden administration is set to allow beginning in 2025. 

Republicans at Farmfest did not speak favorably about the governor, focusing on his economic record — spending a nearly $17.5 billion budget surplus in 2023 and raising taxes — and his response to the protests in Minneapolis in the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd.

“During the riots, he sat for three days while Minneapolis burned and those cops were being assaulted. And at the same time, his running mate Kamala Harris was trying to bail them out of jail,” said U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota’s 7th District, referencing Harris’ June 1, 2020, post encouraging people to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. 

On his way to Farmfest, Stauber posted on X that he had stopped multiple times to campaign against Walz and Harris. 

Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Michelle Fishbach echoed a similar message on X: “Funny that Walz was picked as a ‘moderate’ because he’s just as liberal as Harris: a radical on abortion, disrespects law enforcement, burned through a huge surplus and still raised taxes.”

Outside of the candidate forum, farming families inspected farm equipment, purchased Minnesota-raised pork chops and chatted with experts about seeds and fertilizers. Many wore buttons, hats or shirts displaying support for former president Donald Trump’s reelection campaign or other Republican candidates for Congress.

Walz has routinely appeared at Farmfest since he was elected to represent Minnesota’s First Congressional district in 2007. He was scheduled to appear at the festival Wednesday, but canceled his appearance on Tuesday afternoon, according to festival organizers. Walz will attend a rally with Harris in Eau Claire Wednesday afternoon.

In her live radio appearance Tuesday, Craig referenced a quote from Walz’s 2021 appearance at Farmfest, in which he encouraged the crowd to get vaccinated against COVID-19 “so you can still be alive to vote against me if that’s what you want to do.”

“It’s kind of fun to have a Minnesotan at the top of the ticket,” Craig said. “I remember when Tim was here one time, not too long ago. He said, ‘Well, at the end of the day, now you have a chance to vote against me again,’ and that’s probably what he’d tell you today as well.”