Tim Walz says country wasn’t ready for campaign’s ‘positive’ message in first interviews since ‘brutal’ election loss

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz admitted that he was a “little surprised” at the devastating loss he and Vice President Kamala Harris suffered at the ballot box.

He talked about his reaction to the election results in a series of interviews, his first since the devastating losses for Democrats. Republicans seized control of the U.S. Senate, retained control of the U.S. House, and won the Oval Office as well.

‘The presidential campaign is brutal and this one was particularly ugly and all of those things …’

While Democrats have been bitterly attacking each other in an attempt to assign blame for the election, Walz offered a very simply explanation that blamed the voter.

“It felt like at the rallies, at the things I was going to, the shops I was going in that the momentum was going our way and it obviously wasn’t at the end,” he explained to KTSP-TV.

“So yeah, I was a little surprised. I thought we had a positive message and I thought the country was ready for that,” he added.

He elaborated on his explanation in a separate interview with WCCO-TV.

“I think what we have to understand is the mood where people are at and understanding where they’re at. I think economic issues did impact them,” Walz said.

“I think we’re going to have to understand — what type of leadership do they want?” he continued. “We were pledging to be inclusive. We were pledging to bring people in. Donald Trump has said that that isn’t what he wants, and so if that’s what America is leaning towards, I guess for me, it’s to understand and learn more about America because I thought that they were going to probably move towards a more positive message.”

‘On this one, I did the best I could.’

Walz also had little to say about the controversy over Harris picking him as a running mate and whether it hurt the campaign to snub Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

“History will write that,” he replied.

“It wasn’t my decision to make. It was the vice president’s decision,” he added. “As I said in this campaign, when you asked the question, were there things you could have done differently? Since we lost, the answer is obviously yes. On this one, I did the best I could.”

Walz indicated that he was relieved the election was over.

“The presidential campaign is brutal and this one was particularly ugly and all of those things,” he said.

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