Governor Tim Walz made a short but significant visit to the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, following a busy week of campaign events with Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite the brevity of his visit, Walz engaged in several traditional fair activities and interacted with the public.
Walz’s first purchase at the fair was a classic pork chop on a stick, enjoyed with his daughter, Hope Walz, and his wife, Gwen Walz. The family then proceeded to the Dairy Building, where they surprised workers by serving ice cream to fair attendees. The presence of Secret Service agents revealed the governor’s involvement just before his shift ended.
After his stint at the dairy counter, Walz met with Rachel Visser, the newly crowned Princess Kay of the Milky Way, and admired the fair’s renowned butter sculptures. Walz humorously referenced his past experiences with pork chops in Iowa while lauding the Minnesota State Fair as the best in the country.
Governor Walz’s visit lasted about an hour, a typical duration given his frequent use of the state fair as a campaign platform. Last year, he was seen enjoying the slingshot ride with his daughter Hope. In a 2022 interview with WCCO’s Esme Murphy, Walz expressed his support for abortion rights.
The fair visit followed a significant week for Walz and Harris. The pair recently participated in their first major TV interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, where Walz addressed his military service record and clarified a previous misstatement about “weapons of war” carried during his National Guard service. A campaign spokesperson confirmed that Walz had “misspoken” and explained that the comment was meant in the context of discussions about school shootings.
The interview also revisited a memorable moment from the Democratic National Convention when Walz’s son, Gus, became emotional during his father’s vice-presidential nomination speech. Walz expressed deep gratitude for the moment and acknowledged the emotional impact and his son’s pride. The governor and his wife recently shared with People magazine that Gus, who has ADHD, an anxiety disorder, and a non-verbal learning disorder, is a “brilliant” teenager whose neurodivergence they view as his “secret power.”