Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is back at it — and this time he’s betting he can sell himself to the very voters who’ve been rejecting him for years.
The Democrat unveiled a new federal political action committee this week with a name that raised eyebrows and drew instant ridicule: “Small Town PAC.” Yes, really. After years of getting trounced in rural counties, Walz now says he wants to “show up in small towns” and “organize in places too many people have given up on.” Democrats suddenly remembered flyover country exists.
“If Democrats want to win in more places, we’ve got to start showing up in more places,” Walz declared on X — a line that might’ve landed better if his party hadn’t spent the last decade writing off those exact communities.
Conservatives weren’t having it.
State Rep. Kristin Robbins didn’t mince words, firing back: “Small towns across Minnesota loathe @Tim_Walz.” Others piled on just as quickly, pointing out that rural voters have consistently rejected Walz’s policies at the ballot box.
Townhall columnist Dustin Grage summed up the mood bluntly: “Small towns and townships overwhelmingly voted against you, Tim. We think your policies are despicable.”
And then came the bigger-picture critique: critics argue Walz’s record — from progressive social policies to spending priorities — is exactly why Democrats have hemorrhaged support outside metro areas nationwide.
Energy advocate Daniel Turner didn’t sugarcoat it, writing, “Good Lord small town America hates everything you stand for: open borders, trans insanity, defund the police, rampant crime, Somali fraud.”
That last jab ties into a major political headache for Walz: a sprawling fraud scandal that erupted under his watch, involving pandemic relief funds and alleged misuse by organizations in Minnesota. The controversy became so politically toxic that it contributed to mounting pressure on Walz to abandon his reelection bid earlier this year.
Yet here he is, launching a PAC aimed at rebuilding trust. Critics say the rebrand isn’t just tone-deaf — it’s revisionist history.
Minnesota state Rep. Harry Niska argued that Walz has already made his mark on rural voters — and it’s not a good one: “In eight years as Governor, he has shown voters across Greater Minnesota that the DFL no longer represents them.”
And just when you thought the internet couldn’t get any more savage, conservatives resurrected an old campaign nickname from the 2024 race: “Tampon Tim,” a reference to Walz-backed legislation mandating free menstrual products in all school bathrooms, including boys’ restrooms. The nickname, once dismissed as campaign-season trolling, is clearly sticking around.
Even Walz couldn’t resist throwing punches while trying to relaunch himself. In announcing the PAC, he took a swipe at Vice President JD Vance, accusing Republicans of looking down on rural Americans.
“Republicans like JD Vance like to portray their small-town neighbors as petty, resentful, and small-minded. I disagree,” Walz said.
Vance’s office fired right back with a line that cut straight to Walz’s vulnerabilities: “The problem facing many small towns in Minnesota is that Tim Walz gives their money to fraudulent daycares.” Ouch.
Walz’s new venture is expected to carry him into his post-governor life, where he plans to bankroll Democrat candidates and, as his PAC website puts it, “build the future” with “fresh ideas, energy, and integrity.”
But if early reactions are any indication, convincing rural America that he’s their guy might be a tougher sell than a campaign slogan suggests. Because in politics, you can rename the package — but voters still remember what’s inside.
