Walz Isn’t Just A Liar, He’s America’s Worst Governor

Despite a staggering legacy of lies, exaggerations, and stolen valor, vice presidential nominee Tim Walz told ABC’s “The View” Monday he speaks “honestly.”

“I think being a teacher, being a coach, I just speak from my heart. I speak honestly. I speak in the moment,” Walz said as a sad excuse for his chronic habit of substantive deceit that rivals the worst in modern political history.

Walz has lied about his military service, invented stories about witnessing historic events, and even distorted the facts of his own criminal record. But his dishonesty is not the only danger he poses to the country. His tenure as Minnesota’s governor has been catastrophic, with disastrous economic policies, rampant fraud, and skyrocketing crime rates leaving the state in tatters.

If this is any indication of what would happen if given the keys to the White House, the consequences would be extraordinarily damaging to our nation. Walz should be disqualified from holding any office, let alone the vice presidency.

Let’s start with the economy. Under Walz, Minnesota’s economy has experienced its slowest growth in over two decades. Prior to Walz, Minnesota had two governors of eight-year terms: Tim Pawlenty (Republican) and Mark Dayton (Democrat). Pawlenty, who led Minnesota through the Great Recession, still averaged annual growth rates of 1.75 percent. Dayton, who governed afterward amidst relatively good economic times nationally, averaged growth rates of 2.14 percent.

Under Walz, however, Minnesota has suffered an anemic rate of growth of 1.41 percent. Defenders might point to the pandemic and its exacting impact, but Walz’s relative performance to other states post-Covid is still awful. In the second quarter of this year, Minnesota’s growth plummeted to 48^th in the nation. In 2023, it was 43^rd, and in 2022 it was 36^th. With respect to job growth, from January 2020 to December 2023, Minnesota ranked poorly at 37^th in the country.

The only growth that has happened in Minnesota under Walz is the growth of government. Minnesota embarked on a spending spree that would make Kim Kardashian blush, increasing the state budget by 38 percent in a single legislative session. Doing this amidst the state’s economic downturn is among the most reckless steps ever taken by a Minnesota governor. Now the state is on its way to long-term structural deficits.

Alongside the fiscal problems, under Walz, Minnesota quickly went from being hailed for good governance to being a state known for massive fraud. The Feeding Our Future scandal — where a Minnesota nonprofit siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars in federal Covid aid meant to provide food to hungry children — became the largest pandemic-era fraud in the country. A federal judge went so far as to publicly rebuke Walz for lying about how his administration enabled the scheme.

The Feeding Our Future scandal is occasionally mentioned in the national media, but what is missed is that it is just the tip of the iceberg. The Walz administration allowed $200 million meant for frontline worker bonuses — funds intended for pandemic first responders — to be stolen. Coupled with Medicaid fraud in autism services programs and other scandals, Minnesota now faces a staggering $500 million in taxpayer dollars lost. And what has Walz done? Nothing. No one was fired. He actually praised state officials while fraudsters pocketed millions on his watch.

As Walz hemorrhages taxpayer dollars due to fraud, Minnesota’s educational system has taken a nosedive. From 2014 to 2023, reading proficiency dropped by 8.2 percentage points, and math proficiency fell by 14.2 percentage points, despite significant increases in education spending. Walz has done nothing to address these failures other than to spend more on a system that, despite countless great teachers, is failing our kids.

A look at crime in Minnesota reveals an equally grim picture. In 2023, murders in Minneapolis were 50 percent higher than in 2019. Statewide, there were 181 murders in 2023, representing nearly a 75 percent increase compared to the year before Walz became governor.

And of course, Walz’s response to the George Floyd riots was appalling. As Minneapolis burned, he refused to call up the National Guard for days. This delay allowed the chaos to escalate unchecked, resulting in what is estimated to be more than $500 million in damage, making it the second-costliest instance of local unrest in U.S. history, behind only the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The harm done to individuals and communities, though, is incalculable.

As Americans consider a vote for Walz, they must be well-acquainted with not only his dishonesty but also his horrendous record. He is America’s worst governor. Imagine your own child’s education deteriorating year after year, or your neighborhood becoming increasingly dangerous. Americans should be troubled by Walz’s lies. But they should be terrified by what he has done to Minnesota, and what he could do to the country.

Jim Schultz is President of the Minnesota Private Business Council and was the Republican nominee for Minnesota Attorney General in 2022. Follow on Twitter/X: @JimForMn.