Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attended a Mankato West High School football game, drawing both attention and protests.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators were present, while Walz received a mixed reception from the crowd. Some attendees interacted warmly, while others appeared indifferent. Walz garnered mild applause only during the coin toss.
His appearance has been seen as controversial, with former GOP Congressman Jeremy Munson urging locals to boo him and Blue Earth County GOP Chair Yvonne Simon stating, “They’re getting desperate to get the word out.”
Walz, who once served as an assistant coach at the high school, has tied his vice-presidential candidacy to his coaching history, highlighting the 1999 state championship team he helped coach. His tenure as a football coach has been a point of focus in the Harris-Walz campaign.
However, critics like Richard Grenell, former U.S. ambassador to Germany, have downplayed his role, noting that Walz “was the Assistant Coach not the Coach.”
At a recent Michigan football game, Walz faced a harsher reception, being booed by attendees. Despite never advancing beyond assistant coaching at the high school level, Walz has compared his background to that of Senator Tommy Tuberville, a former head coach of multiple NCAA Power-5 football programs.
Walz has cast himself as “the anti-Tommy Tuberville” in an effort to challenge the senator’s prominence in both football and politics.
