Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke on Friday night to an almost sold-out Shannon Hall at the university’s Memorial Union. Walz was accompanied by the associate editor of The Cap Times, John Nichols, and they were received by an especially exuberant crowd. Walz spoke on various subjects for just over an hour.
The Cap Times Idea Fest was held largely on the UW-Madison campus last week. Over twenty speakers were welcomed to the campus, including Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, failed Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. The event featured discussions on many subjects, from politics to food to climate change.
The Cap Times Idea Fest took place during the week of the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University on his American Comeback Tour. Kirk was killed on Wednesday, September 10, and Walz spoke on Friday, September 12.
The one-on-one session started off with Nichols reassuring Walz that he is greatly loved in Madison, and despite losing the election nationally, the polls were heavily skewed toward Harris and Walz during the presidential race in 2024.
Around the ten-minute mark, the talk transitioned into the theme of political violence with Nichols first citing the assassination of Charlie Kirk and then the double assassination of Minnesota legislator, Melissa Hortman, and her husband Mark. Walz described the situation as “still very visceral.” He then began to speak about the various political assassinations of the 1960s, saying that they were “horrific, but they felt horrific and not ordinary.” He contrasts the political situation of the 1960s with our present-day political violence, lamenting that now our situation feels more ordinary.
Walz then transitioned into speaking very highly about Melissa Hortman, comparing her political capabilities to those of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He criticized President Trump’s handling of the situation, saying he lacked “basic humanity regardless of the politics” and “the president brings out the worst in me.”
Walz then criticized some politicians and other notable figures for their outrage to Kirk’s assassination saying that these were “the very people, who could not even call the children of Melissa” and that he “does not understand how you could not see the children that lost a father this week and the children who lost a father and a mother this June… and how can you separate the humanity on that.”
Walz followed the criticism with an emotional comment about not knowing how the nation should respond to political violence. Walz does not directly mention Kirk’s name in the conversation, instead urging the country to discuss gun control.
Walz also touched on other issues during the one-on-one discussion, including the Minnesota and Wisconsin rivalry, the NYC mayor race, and the Harris-Walz campaign loss in 2024.
Nichols asked about Walz’s political future. Walz vehemently denied a presidential run and hinted at another run in the Minnesota gubernatorial race in 2026, saying that “it sure does not feel like now is the time to leave the field with what’s going on.”
Walz ended the discussion with an optimistic tone, showing faith that “we can get through this” and that “every morning I wake up and express great gratitude that I’m not a republican.” He exited Shannon Hall with a prolonged standing ovation.
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