ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is the Democratic vice presidential candidate, along with his wife, Gwen, and their son, Gus, visited a voting station in St. Paul on a brisk autumn Wednesday morning to cast their ballots ahead of the upcoming election.
This occasion marked Gus’s initial experience with voting, as he had recently celebrated his 18th birthday.
“I’m really thrilled about this experience,” Walz expressed to journalists as they approached the Ramsey County Elections office.
According to reports, Walz stood alongside Gus as they submitted their completed ballots into the counting machine. An election worker acknowledged Gus as a “first-time voter,” prompting an enthusiastic applause from those in the vicinity. Following this interaction, the governor and his son exchanged high-fives, celebrating the moment.
In a brief conversation with reporters afterward, while wearing a red “I voted” sticker on his lapel, Walz characterized the impending election as an opportunity to move beyond the turbulence associated with Donald Trump, asserting it offers a “fresh start.”
The governor extended his gratitude to retired General John Kelly, who previously served as Trump’s longest-tenured chief of staff, for “displaying the bravery to step forward” and alert the public regarding Trump’s “descent into madness.” This acknowledgement came after remarks made by Kelly in interviews featured in major publications earlier that week.
“Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that this election centers around him claiming total control over the military for use against his adversaries, asserting dominance over the Department of Justice to prosecute dissenters, and seizing control of the media regarding information shared with the public,” Walz commented.
Additionally, Walz refrained from discussing reports suggesting he was a target of Russian disinformation campaigns, though he remarked, “It’s very evident that Russian President Vladimir Putin desires a Trump victory; Donald Trump, likewise, has shown a preference for Putin’s success.”
Minnesota commenced early in-person voting on September 20; however, the governor has been heavily engaged in campaign activities since Vice President Kamala Harris nominated him as her running partner. In the previous year, Tim and Gwen Walz participated in early voting at the same venue, alongside their daughter, Hope, who also voted for the first time then but has since relocated to Montana.