Walz Recommends Buttigieg in Midterm Interview
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz advised the national Democratic Party to select Pete Buttigieg as its next candidate during an interview that aired on C-SPAN with one week remaining before the midterm elections.
When prompted to give advice to the party, Walz’s response was immediate: "Pick Pete Buttigieg." The Minnesota governor did not mention his former running mate, Vice President Kamala Harris, who selected him for the 2024 ticket.
Critics noted that Walz skipped over his former partner. Joe Concha observed that Walz was "throwing Kamala under the bus" and questioned why he was being asked for advice given that he lost his vice presidential selection in 2024 and is not running for reelection as governor.
Concha wrote, "Besides completely throwing Kamala under the bus – the fact that this interviewer is asking friggin Tim Walz to give advice to the party … considering he was the worst vice presidential selection of all time…And isn’t even running for reelection in his own state is dumbfounding."
Harris’s Memoir Details Initial Preference for Buttigieg
In her memoir, Harris described her thought process as she selected a running mate, saying she initially favored Buttigieg but feared voters wouldn’t elect a black female president and a gay vice president on the same ticket.
Harris defended this position in an interview with Rachel Maddow, arguing that President Donald Trump would have used Buttigieg's sexuality to attack the campaign. Harris stated, "To be a black woman running for president, and as a vice presidential running mate, a gay man. With the stakes being so high, it made me very sad. But I also realized it would be a real risk."
Future Campaign Plans Remain Unclear
Neither Harris nor Buttigieg has declared plans to run again in 2028, though both have left the door open for future campaigns.