What will happen to Tim Walz after Donald Trump wins the presidential election?

MINNEAPOLIS — former President Donald Trump’s expected victory of the presidency has many in Minnesota wondering what the next steps will be for the Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Waltz.

Vice President Kamala Harris gave her concession speech Wednesday afternoon from Howard University in Washington, DC Although Walz did not speak at the event, he was asked what was next as he left the meeting. His answer: “Minnesota.”

Walz, 60, will return to his home state Wednesday night and continue serving his second term as governor of Minnesota. Peggy Flanagan, who would have stepped into the governorship if Walz’s ticket had won, remains lieutenant governor.

Walz has two years left on his term. During the rest of the election period, he may have more difficulty getting policies adopted in relation to the achievements made during the landmark 2023 session.

From now on control for the Minnesota House is up in the air after Republicans were able to flip three seats, with several other races likely heading for a recount — meaning the Democratic “trifecta” of power in the state is in doubt.

Larry Jacobs, professor of politics at the University of Minnesota, took it a step further.

“The wheels of the progressive DFL bus have just screeched to a halt,” he said. “The DFL will not be able to move big budgets and big programmatic ideas like they did in 2023. Republicans will either have a tie in the House, in which case they can prevent things, or they will have a majority where they want vote down whatever the DFL sends them, which involves more taxes, more spending, more regulation, so this is a big, big win for Republicans.

Walz has not indicated whether he would seek re-election as governor of Minnesota if his vice presidential bid fails.

What is Walz’s likely path as a politician at this point?

Hamline University professor and political expert David Schultz told WCCO that he believes Walz’s path in national politics is most likely not over, but his path in Minnesota politics is also “just about coming to an end.”

At the state level, Walz’s prospects for winning a third term as governor do not look promising.

“With the exception of Rudy Perpich, no Minnesota governor since post-World War II has successfully run for and been elected to a third term as governor,” Schultz said. “The chances of him deciding to run and win are going to be complicated for him.”

Nationally, Schultz said analysts will be looking for reasons why Harris lost.

“Some will point to Walz as the choice for vice president … That he didn’t resonate with those voters in Pennsylvania or Wisconsin or Michigan. That’s going to be a question to think about here,” Schultz said.

It is true that vice presidents often run for president – such as Walter Mondale and Hubert Humphrey – but that is after they have already been part of a winning ticket at the national level.

Schultz also notes that the percentage of the popular vote received by Walz has steadily declined since he first ran for governor. It also includes the 2024 presidential election.

“Harris got a lower percentage of the vote than President Biden did, won fewer counties than Biden did, so I think his path in terms of a future in Minnesota politics is difficult,” Schultz said.

Waltz delivered a final address on a national platform before the election on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” Monday night, where he emphasized it Harris the campaign’s focus on Pennsylvania, the hotly contested battleground that says Trump eventually wonalong with his 19 electoral votes.

During a rally in La CrosseWisconsin earlier that day, Walz told the crowd that if Harris and he defeat Trump, “voters will never have to see this guy on TV again and listen to him.”

Walz emphasized that the future of American democracy is at stake.

“The case is upon us now, folks. I know there’s a lot of anxiety. The decisions over the next 24-36 hours will shape not only the next four years, they’ll shape generations to come,” Walz said.

During his time as governorWalz experienced several major crises. In his first term, he faced fierce criticism from Republicans amid the twin dilemmas of the COVID-19 pandemic and the violent uprising that followed the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020.

Prior to serving as governor, Walz led 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 of a century.