“It’s great to be home”: Walz speaks to Minnesotans after presidential election loss

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is looking forward following his loss on the Democratic presidential ticket.
“I love this county. I love this state. I love this job and I’m not done fighting for Minnesota,” Walz said during an address at Eagan High School Friday afternoon, his first since Tuesday’s election.
He thanked his supporters, staff his family and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I’m grateful for her leadership and forever grateful for her friendship,” Walz said.
Walz said it’s hard to lose but feels more inspired following his monthslong campaign around the country.
“I’ve never felt more motivated. I’ve never felt more fired up about what’s possible in this country,” he said.
Walz expressed pride for Minnesota’s record and vowed he would keep fighting for DFL priorities and values.
“Minnesota always has and always will be there to provide shelter from the storm,” he said. “As long as I’m governor of Minnesota, we’ll be a state that respects democracy, a place where we’re proud of our civic debate and where we don’t demonize people who disagree with us.”
The governor also touched on political division in the country, asking people to look a little harder to find common ground with each other.
“Nobody — not the DFLers, not Republicans — nobody has a monopoly on good intentions or good ideas,” Walz said.
During the address, Walz did not say whether he will run for a third term as governor. Political experts say his prospects of winning a third term don’t look promising; only one governor post-World War II has won a third term in Minnesota (Rudy Perpich).
Walz returned to Minnesota Wednesday night to serve out the remaining two years of his second term. Peggy Flanagan, who would have stepped into the governorship had Walz’s ticket won, will remain lieutenant governor.   
The governor returns to a state with a much different legislative landscape than last session, as well. As of now, control of the Minnesota House is up in the air after Republicans flipped three seats on Election Day, achieving a rare 67-67 tie. Several other races are likely headed to a recount due to close vote totals.
Despite losing the election to President-elect Donald Trump, Harris and Walz won the state of Minnesota by nearly 138,000 votes, according to unofficial results from the Minnesota secretary of state.
After Harris conceded, Walz released a statement, saying in part he was “grateful to the millions of Americans who joined our campaign and stood up for our greatest ideals: decency, compassion, and love of our neighbor.”
Before taking the governor’s office, Walz represented Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2006 to 2019. Prior to his political career, the Nebraska native served in the Army National Guard for nearly a quarter century and worked as a teacher.