MINNESOTA – Gov.Tim Walz was officially selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate Tuesday.

Walz is halfway through his second term as governor. He previously served as Minnesota 1st District Congressman. Before entering politics he served in the Army National Guard and was a teacher in Mankato.

Walz has paid multiple visits to the region during his time as Governor and as a U.S. representative. During the construction of the Highway 14 expansion, Walz made several visits, attending the ground breaking ceremony in Courtland and later ribbon cutting event opening the highway last November.

Announcement of Walz selection came a few minutes before the start of the Brown County Commissioners meeting.

“It was not unexpected,” Commissioner Anton Berg said. “I know the DFL was worried Minnesota could swing for Republicans. This is a way to keep Minnesota for the DFL.”

Commissioner Brian Braun said “It is nice to have Minnesota representation.”

Commissioner Scott Windschitl offered congratulations to Walz. “He was a good Representative for us and he has done well as governor,” he said. “Hopefully, he would do well in the Vice-President position.”

County commissioner and New Ulm Police Chief David Borchert was happy to hear Walz was selected for the vice president nomination.

“He is a good leader,” Borchert said. “His selection is a great compliment to Walz, but also Minnesota.”

Borchert has known Walz for many years from their time in the Army National Guard. Borchert served under Walz when he was a first sergeant. Walz would later be promoted to command sergeant major.

“He was the finest first sergeant I’ve ever worked for,” Borchert said.

New Ulm city officials had varied thoughts on Walz’s selection. City Councilor Les Schultz said he was surprised by the pick, as he believed Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro would get the nomination.

“Walz has done good things but he has some baggage,” Schultz said.

Mayor Kathleen Backer said Walz potentially leaving the governor position creates questions. She wonders what will be next for the state as people move up the ladder and take on new positions.

If Kamala Harris is elected, Peggy Flanagan would become the new governor, and senate president Bobby Joe Champion would be the new lieutenant governor. Champion’s seat would then be vacant until a special election is held.

Backer said with the selection of a Minnesotan comes some state bragging rights.

“There’s a certain amount of community pride and statewide pride somebody from Minnesota was selected for a national role.”

City Councilor Eric Warmka said Walz is an interesting but strong choice for vice president.

“I do feel his experience in state politics could bring value to the role of Vice President,” he said. “I am also encouraged with the possibility of having a Midwest voice in the White House. His experience in state governance and his focus on issues like education and healthcare will complement Kamala Harris’s political priorities well.”

The question of who Harris’s running mate would be was something that “piqued people’s curiosity” at recent DFL pop-up events in Lyon County, said Lyon County DFL chair Anita Gaul.

“For the past week, that was the number one topic of conversation at the pop-up,” Gaul said. Walz being selected as a vice presidential candidate had sparked excitement among Democrats, she said. “I really do think he will draw in voters.”

“Minnesota does have a tradition of vice presidents,” including Humphrey and Mondale, Gaul said.

The news that Walz had been chosen as Harris’s running mate was an exciting surprise for Ivanhoe residents Val and Linn Whipple, according to the Ivanhoe Times newspaper. Walz is married to the Whipples’ daughter Gwen. Gwen Whipple grew up in southwest Minnesota, and graduated from Ivanhoe High School.

The Ivanhoe Times shared comments from Val and Linn Whipple on social media Tuesday.

The Whipples said they had been getting a lot of phone calls on Tuesday morning, after the news broke.

“We had the TV on and kept watching it to see if it was true. Then a friend from Hutchinson, Minnesota, called us to tell us,” Val Whipple told the Times. “So we kept watching TV and figured it must be true.”

The Times reported that the Whipples planned to attend Harris and Walz’s upcoming rally in Wisconsin.

At Farmfest Tuesday, Blue Earth County Commissioner and former Minnesota Farm Bureau President Kevin Paap said he was pleased with the news of Walz as a vice presidential candidate.

“Anytime you have someone who understands value-added agriculture, whether it be animal agriculture or biofuels and administration experience with decision-making, can’t be a bad thing. He spent 12 years on the House Agriculture Committee. Tim Walz can hit the ground running,” said Paap.

“I think if he (Walz) wasn’t running for vice president and the Democrats were successful, he could have been a lot of things including secretary of agriculture or secretary of education,” he added.

Minnesota Corn Growers Association President Dana Allen-Tully said Walz running for vice president “elevates Minnesota.”

“We know he knows ag. Renewable fuels are big in Minnesota. We have a lot of ethanol plants. Walz has leadership in sustainable aviation fuel.

Brown County DFL Chairwoman Lori Sellner said she and others that volunteered for Walz are happy.

” We know him to be one of the most authentic people we campaigned for. He’s a veteran and teacher who represented a very rural district. He motivates all of us with his optimism but I think his authenticity is his greatest trait,” Sellner said.

Minnesota Farmers Union President Gary Wertish said its exciting to have a person who served on the national ag committee on the national (election) ticket.

“Tim Walz has been through a few farm bill debates. He’s been thrown a lot of curve balls with COVID and the unfortunate death of George Floyd. He’s very seasoned and really understands agriculture and how it’s a big part of the economy. Tim’s a good supporter of agriculture,” Wertish said.

University of Minnesota Extension Interim Regional Director and Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes said it was good news that Walz was selected to run for vice president.

“I think it’s a positive thing for Minnesota and the midwest, showing their importance to the rest of the country. He’s been on the ag committee, served in Congress and has a background in education and spent much of his life in southern Minnesota,” said Byrnes.

Corn and soybean farmer Riley Espenson of Bingham Lake disagreed.

“I think it would be good if he (Walz) was out of politics. It seems he got a little power hungry during the COVID stuff. I don’t know if he really has farmers in the back of his mind. That’s how us and a few of our neighbors feel. It was really frustrating when a lot of small businesses had to shut down during COVID. I don’t think he (Walz) had the rural people in mind. He just did what he could to get votes.”

Courtland farmer John Luepke said he thinks Walz should donate his pay as governor back if he’s not doing the job he’s supposed to because he’ll be campaigning the next three months.

“I worked for 3M for 35 years. If I said I was campaigning for months, I’m sure they would have said goodbye,” said Luepke.

St. Cloud area retiree Pat Schmidt agreed.

“I’m happy to see him (Walz) leave Minnesota. I think they (democrats) were worried about not carrying Minnesota this time around. It was close last time. I thought the (DFL) vice president candidate was going to be the Pennsylvania governor. I hope we can turn Minnesota red again. It needs to be. All the democrats want to do is spend money, spend money, spend money,” said Schmidt.

As Minnesota governor, and before that as a member of Congress, Walz regularly attended area events like Farmfest. He was also among the Democratic politicians and candidates to attend an annual DFL corn feed in southwest Minnesota. At 2021’s corn feed at the Ted Suss and Janet Marti Farm in rural Lucan, Suss said Walz had attended the event since his first Congressional campaign.

“I tell people (Walz) gave his first ever stump speech as a candidate for Congress from this porch,” Suss said at the 2021 corn feed.

— Deb Gau, Clay Schuldt and Dan Olson contributed to this report