Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said Thursday Democrats need to take a broader approach to the states they are targeting during elections — which could mean further changes to the presidential nominating calendar.
Speaking with Minnesota Reformer editor Patrick Coolican at a States Newsroom conference in Minneapolis, the 2024 vice presidential candidate tackled multiple topics related to President Donald Trump’s time in office. He also discussed ways for the Democratic Party to bounce back after significant Republican wins in 2024, including Trump’s win over his and Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.
One of the major questions leading up to the 2028 presidential election season — especially for Iowa — is the Democratic presidential nominating calendar. Following issues in the 2020 Democratic caucuses and Democratic National Committee concerns about the accessibility of the caucus system, Iowa was booted from it’s longtime first-in-the-nation position in the Democratic nominating calendar in 2022, replaced by South Carolina.
hen asked by Iowa Capital Dispatch Editor-in-Chief Kathie Obradovich which state should go first, Walz immediately quipped, “Minnesota.” But in a longer response, the Democratic governor said he believes Democrats should rotate which states kick off the nominating process each presidential election cycle — a process he said may not be popular in states that may not traditionally have held early contests, but could improve Democrats’ odds in elections.
He reflected on how in his 2024 run with Harris, winning the presidency came down to winning a handful of contested states.
“On the calendar, I think you can’t be too rigid,” Walz said. “And it was … I don’t know if the word is depressing, but going to the seven states over and over and over again, and recognizing that you could win a presidential election or lose one doing that — I think we’ve got to be broader.”