<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, last year’s Democratic nominee for vice president, took another step back onto the national political stage on Friday when he hosted a town hall in front of a friendly audience in Des Moines, the latest in a series of appearances outside his home state.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">During roughly an hour on the stage of a high school auditorium, Mr. Walz expressed sadness over Democrats’ struggles with rural and working-class voters, blasted President Trump’s cuts to the federal government and told the crowd that Democrats needed to rethink how they campaigned and governed.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“Millions of people stayed home because they didn’t think there was any difference between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris and myself on the ticket,” Mr. Walz said at the event, which was organized by the Iowa Democratic Party. “We need to acknowledge that. I think one of the reasons is that when Democrats have been in power, we’ve been timid about passing things that make a difference.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The trip to Iowa was the latest sign that Mr. Walz, who was not widely known outside Minnesota before joining Ms. Harris’s ticket, might be contemplating a run for the presidency in 2028. Mr. Walz spoke last week to a Democratic Party gathering in <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.mtpr.org/montana-news/2025-03-04/gov-walz-montana-dems-call-for-better-messaging-on-working-class-issues" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Montana</a> and was scheduled to hold another town hall in <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/03/13/nebraska-democrats-go-on-offense-with-minnesota-gov-tim-walzs-townhall/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Nebraska</a>, the sorts of appearances that can foster good will among party leaders and help a potential candidate gauge the mood of the electorate. Future trips to <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.wtrf.com/ohio/former-vice-president-candidate-tim-walz-will-make-stops-in-ohio-for-national-tour/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Ohio</a> and <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2025/03/14/tim-walz-to-hold-town-hall-event-in-republican-van-ordens-district/82360407007/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Wisconsin</a> are in the works.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Mr. Walz also spoke recently at the <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2025/03/11/tim-walz-interview-at-sxsw" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">South by Southwest Conference and Festivals</a> and expressed openness to running for president in an <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.newyorker.com/podcast/the-new-yorker-radio-hour/does-tim-walz-have-any-regrets" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">interview with The New Yorker</a>. That posture contrasts with the relatively low profile Mr. Walz kept in the first months after he and Ms. Harris lost every battleground state to Mr. Trump.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Before Mr. Walz makes any decision about 2028, he must likely choose whether to seek a third term as governor of Minnesota next year. The Democratic field in Minnesota has been frozen as would-be candidates wait for Mr. Walz to decide. He has already <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/26/us/politics/tim-walz-minnesota-senate.html" title="">ruled out running</a> next year for the seat that Senator Tina Smith, a Democrat, will be <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/13/us/politics/tina-smith-minnesota-senate.html" title="">leaving</a> at the end of her term.</p><div class="css-1336jj"><div class="css-121kum4"><div class="css-171quhb"></div><div class="css-asuuk5"><noscript><div class="css-7axq9l" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript"><svg aria-hidden="true" class="css-1b5b8u1" height="24" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="24"><path clip-rule="evenodd" d="M2.5 12a9.5 9.5 0 1 1 19 0 9.5 9.5 0 0 1-19 0Zm8.5 1.75v-7.5h2v7.5h-2Zm0 2v2h2v-2h-2Z" fill="currentColor" fill-rule="evenodd"></path></svg><div class="css-6yo1no" data-testid="optimistic-truncator-noscript-message"><p class="css-3kpklk">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.</p><p class="css-3kpklk">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.</p></div></div></noscript><div class="css-1dv1kvn" id="optimistic-truncator-a11y" tabindex="-1"><hr/><p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. 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