Former Walz intern, Minnesota Rep. Dan Wolgamott shares lessons learned from VP candidate

ST. CLOUD — Minnesota Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, fondly recalls his days as an intern with then-U.S. Rep. Tim Walz. Walz, now the Minnesota governor and just-named 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate, was Wolgamott's boss in 2011 when the Minnesota representative interned under him in Washington, D.C.

Wolgamott describes his internship as an "experience of a lifetime."

“I got hooked up with an internship with a little-known congressman from southern Minnesota by the name of Tim Walz, and I went out, and it was the experience of a lifetime,” Wolgamott said. "It was awesome because Tim really has a heart. Before being a statesman, he was a teacher, and he has that passion for learning and education.”

Walz’s attitude of embracing learning opportunities contributed to Wolgamott getting involved in politics and set the foundation for Wolgamott’s approach to representing St. Cloud’s swing district in the Minnesota House of Representatives more than a decade later.

Wolgamott, who was allegedly nicknamed “Wolgy” during his internship, would take constituent calls and regularly meet with Walz to discuss resident complaints. Walz, who represented a swing district, was faced with the question of voting with the party or with the views of a mixed constituency. After these discussions, Wolgamott said Walz taught him the value of listening to constituents first.

“You really have to go above and beyond to vote for your district first, then your party, and I learned how to do that with Congressman Walz,” Wolgamott said. “To do that, you have to put a lot of thought into what you're doing, you have to be able to defend your votes to your colleagues and to your constituents.”

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These conversations weren’t always about politics and Capital Hill business, Wolgamott said. The two football fanatics would talk sports while the office rallied behind Walz’s love for Diet Mountain Dew while handing out cheese and crackers to visitors, referencing the Kraft factory in Walz's then-district.

“His district has a Spam factory, so we just had Spam nearly every day and drank a lot of Diet Mountain Dew,” Wolgamott said.

While his summer with Walz in the nation’s capital proved to help Wolgamott professionally, citing his current position in the Minnesota House of Representatives, he said the time spent with Walz proved to be much more than that. He said it relieved fears about a career in politics taking away the personal, human experience side of helping people.

“I learned you don’t have to be some intimidating person to get things done,” Wolgamott said. “That you can lead through positivity, through getting people excited and making people feel like they're part of a team. I saw that happening every day with Tim.”

Wolgamott said Walz taught him he could have a full life serving others.

“You don't have to be some hoity-toity, elite person to run for office. You can be a dad, a coach and someone who loves public service and making a difference.”

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

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: Former Walz intern, Minnesota Rep. Dan Wolgamott shares lessons learned from VP candidate