EAGAN, Minnesota (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz He vowed Friday to make Minnesota a safe haven for the values ​​that guided the Democratic presidential campaign, which he helped lead, and also vowed to work harder to understand the concerns of President-elect Donald Trump’s voters.

Inside a high school auditorium in Eagan, Minnesota, a suburb just south of Minneapolis-St. Paul Walz addressed a crowd of supporters with his thoughts on the matter. Trump’s election victoryA conclusion he said drove him to search for answers.

“It is difficult to understand why so many of our citizens for whom we fought so long and so hard have chosen the other path,” Walz said. “It’s hard to calculate what this path will look like for the next four years.”

A few spectators were spared Harris Walz camo campaign hats They hugged each other before the governor took the stage. He and his wife, Gwen Walz, gave him a standing ovation and chanted his name as he made his statements.

Tim Walz thanked Kamala Harris for choosing him as vice president and for her friendship. He said his rise to the Democratic ticket has allowed him to learn more about the country he hopes to serve as vice president.

Walz suggested that despite the defeat and polarized political climate, most Americans share similar concerns.

“People really want the same basic things from American life. I want to be clear in saying the basics. I mean things like meaningful jobs, safe neighborhoods, good schools, affordable quality health care. “But I also mean something more,” Walz said. “What I’ve come to understand clearly is that people want security. I mean that in a broad sense. They want to feel like their lives are built on a solid foundation that won’t fall apart.”

Walz also said Americans want the freedom to live their lives as they see fit. foundation stone of the Harris-Walz campaign. To that end, Walz has vowed to make Minnesota a bulwark against a second Trump administration’s potential attacks on abortion rights, immigrants and labor unions.

“Look, we know what’s going to happen. We know this because they told us,” Walz said. “The moment they try to bring a hateful agenda to this state, I will be ready to stand up and fight.”

Walz has returned from his presidential campaign to a new era. divided state governmentNow Republicans appear to have completely broken the grip of the Democrats who helped put him in office. Kamala Harris’ radar. He was elected governor in 2018 and re-elected in the 2022 election. Handed both chambers to Democrats of the State Legislature.

In Friday’s speech, Walz touted many of the policies Democrats were able to implement at the time, including stronger protections for abortion rights, child tax credits, paid family and medical leave, free school meals for all children and gun safety measures. He said those policy victories allowed him to tell a story about Minnesota’s progress on the presidential campaign trail.

Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz, who often accompanies her husband on campaign trips, said Minnesota will remain a safe haven. As he considered the election results, he said, the Walzes took solace in their favorite Bible verse: “I fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.”

“Minnesota, we kept the faith,” Gwen Walz said.

While the governor implored opponents of Trump’s agenda to continue the fight, he also called on all Americans to bridge the political divides that widened during the election.

“Maybe when we take a break from this campaign, we can look at each other and see neighbors, not enemies,” Walz said. “Maybe we can sit down and talk over coffee or Diet Mountain Dew.”

Copyright 2024 Associated Press. All rights reserved.