Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the former vice-presidential nominee, is coming to Ohio early next week as part of his national town hall tour in Republican congressional districts.
Walz will hold a town hall event on Monday night in Youngstown and on Tuesday night in Lorain. Walz also is keynoting a conference for a public-education advocacy group in Columbus scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“We’re grateful to Governor Walz for joining us for the People’s Town Hall,” Ohio Democratic Party Chair Elizabeth Walters said in a statement. “Republicans are continuing to ignore their constituents, but Democrats are stepping up to fill the gap because we know Ohioans deserve to be heard.”
Walz’s tour tests Ohio’s political waters
Walz was a late addition to last year’s national Democratic ticket. Former Vice President Kamala Harris picked him in July after former President Joe Biden dropped out of the race. Harris chose the former school teacher and high school football coach in part because she and her advisors hoped his folksy demeanor and rural background could help the Democratic Party broaden its appeal.
Harris and Walz lost the November election and key midwest states to President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. In Ohio, the Democratic ticket lost by 11 percentage points.
Walz re-entered the national political stage last month when he announced his tour. Stops so far include Montana, Iowa, Texas and Wisconsin. He’s described his campaign as a way for Democrats to make up ground in areas of the country where they’ve lost support. The locations match where a 2028 presidential candidate might test the waters for primary election votes, although Walz isn’t officially running for anything. Walz recently passed on running for an open U.S. Senate seat and said he’s entertaining running for a third term for governor next year.
Town halls have become a broader theme for national Democrats as they emerge from their November election loss and try to find their political footing. National Republicans have told GOP Congress members not to hold any town halls after liberal activists packed an event in late February held by Georgia representative. The episode, and other similar ones that followed, prompted national news coverage and video clips that were shared on social media.
Yougstown and Lorain top tour in Northeast Ohio
Both the Youngstown and Lorain events are scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. But organizers aren’t publicizing the exact locations as final logistics are worked out. Public listings said they’ll let people know 24 hours before the events occur. Local Democratic Party chairs, speaking with local media, have described organizing the events with Walz’s political team and the state Democratic Party.
Youngstown, a population center in a historic Democratic area that’s sharply trended Republican in the past decade, is part of Ohio’s 6th Congressional District. It’s currently represented by Rep. Michael Rulli, of Salem.
Lorain also has trended in favor of Republicans, although the area remains more politically competitive. It’s represented by Rep. Bob Latta, of Bowling Green.