Minnesota Democrats, including Gov. Walz, launch Harris for President campaign in St. Paul

ST. PAUL — As former President Donald Trump prepared to speak in St. Cloud Saturday evening, Minnesota’s Democratic leaders launched the state’s campaign supporting their presumptive presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, earlier that morning.

“We (Harris) ran against each other for president, (but) we actually got to be closer friends,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said to the crowd of about 300. “We spent the night before Thanksgiving together with our families in Iowa, and I know her as a person of integrity and a person of joy.”

Klobuchar, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, DFL, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison joined forces to support the Harris ticket. They say bringing together area leaders in all levels of government — local, state and federal — proves the Harris ticket could make a difference at the local level.

Carter, St. Paul’s mayor since 2018, told the St. Cloud Times he experienced a drastic change in communications and policy from President Joe Biden’s White House compared to Trump’s. He said Biden’s administration takes initiative to check in on major cities during troubling times, such as uncertain weather, and enacted policies giving municipalities more control rather than state officials.

“We really appreciated the partnership, and that's what's different compared to Trump,” Carter said. “It's a partnership where you can see programs and resources coming from the Biden administration. They check in on ask us. They check in when there's a snowstorm or something happens, and we hear from the White House; they check in and say, ‘Hey Mayor, what do you need? How can we be supportive?’”

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The mayor also compared the two candidate’s community relief programs — Trump’s Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. He said Trump’s CARES Act gave money to states to delegate to municipalities while Biden’s gave direct support to local governments .

“Trump gave money to states. We … have great state leadership that shared those resources with us, so we could have resources to work with through the pandemic,” Carter said. “The Biden administration sent dollars directly to cities, so we could care for our community members directly.”

Minnesota Democrats are looking to take a local approach to its campaigning efforts as well, with door knocking at the top of their minds. The kickoff’s roughly 300 attendees were trained in door-knocking skills after the leaders spoke.

“It’s go time, (and) we know how to organize,” Flanagan said. “On a very hot summer day, you are in (this) room getting ready because you're going to pick up turf to go knock on doors.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks about being on Harris' VP list

Walz’s appearance campaigning for Harris didn't come without murmurs that the governor may run as Harris’ running mate. He said the decision ultimately comes down to the vice president, and he approves of all the candidates being thrown in the mix. Alongside Walz, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whimer, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore are among those gaining traction .

“Love them all … but this is the Vice President's pick,” Walz said to the crowd. “I trust her judgment. I trust how she picks, so it's an exciting time for the country because we're seeing the possibilities.”

The event was held at 11 a.m. Saturday at the St. Paul Regional Labor Center.

Corey Schmidt covers local government for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Minnesota Democrats, including Gov. Walz, launch Harris for President campaign in St. Paul