Minnesota’s Governor Tim Walz, affiliated with the Democratic party, stumbled during an attempt to address his recent dramatic proposition to dismantle the Electoral College. His stance, viewed as a radical left point of view, isn’t shared by Vice President Kamala Harris, as pointed out during an interview.
Walz then attempted to clarify his position, asserting that his goal was to reinforce the belief that each vote in every state should hold equal importance. He noted that some individuals don’t feel that’s always the case and asserted his campaign was directly addressing this concern. ‘I am on a tour of five states in two days to make that point crystal clear,’ Walz said.
Faced with the question of where he diverged from Harris on this topic, Walz cryptically stated that his stance was in alignment with the campaign’s position. This political commotion initiated when Walz openly expressed at multiple campaign fundraisers on a Tuesday that the Electoral College should no longer exist.
This bold proclamation from Governor Walz forced the Harris camp to clarify their position, confirming they did not back a motion to eliminate the Constitutional apparatus responsible for the electoral process of the US presidency.
During his announcement at a fundraiser, Walz told supporters, ‘It’s clear to all of us: The Electoral College must be retired. We ought to move towards a national popular vote.’ His speech saw him encouraging the win of important states such as Beaver County and York in Pennsylvania, western Wisconsin, and Reno, Nevada.
The governor’s bold call for the eradication of the Electoral College prompted the Harris campaign to respond. Their statement suggested that Governor Walz’s belief places importance on every Electoral College vote. While traveling across the nation and key battleground states, he is working diligently to gather support for the Harris-Walz ticket.
Additionally, his impassioned speech to loyal supporters was described as his way of explaining the strategic goal to amass 270 electoral votes, while expressing gratitude for their assistance in fueling the campaign’s efforts.
The Electoral College, described in Article II with further details provided in the 12th Amendment of the Constitution, gathers ‘Electors’ for selecting the President and Vice President. This mechanism necessitates the presidential hopefuls to seek nationwide backing, preventing the exclusivity of their focus on the high population states and cities.
Governor Walz has been an advocate for a shift from the Electoral College to the popular vote for electing the President. In May of 2023, he passed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact into law. The passing of this law marked Minnesota as the 17th state to pledge to allocate its electoral votes to the candidate who garners the majority of national popular votes.
Walz is not alone in his call for the abolition of the Electoral College. Post her 2016 loss to former President Donald Trump, Democrat Hillary Clinton supported the proposition of a national popular vote approach for electing the President. While Clinton outperformed Trump in the popular vote, she fell short of winning the Electoral College count.
During the 2020 Democratic presidential campaign, various candidates voiced their support for abolishing the Electoral College. These names included notables like Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
However, as for Vice President Harris, in 2019, she stated that she was ‘open to the discussion’ of getting rid of the Electoral College. She further elaborated her concerns about the reduced role of the popular vote in determining the president of the United States.
Drawing a line, Harris concluded, ‘There is an immediate need to address the diminished influence of the popular vote. The final decision about who becomes the president of the United States should reflect this principle.’
ABC: You said you think the Electoral College should be abolished.
WALZ: “Well it’s not the campaign’s position.”
ABC: So… that’s something you and Kamala disagree on?
WALZ: “Umm… the campaign and my position is the campaign position.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 11, 2024