What happens now that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is running for VP?
- The timing of Walz's resignation is up to him
- Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan would step into the role
- She would be the country's first Native American governor
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is photographed in the press room at the State Capitol, on March 13, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. In an interview with The Associated Press, the Democrat discussed the proposed Minnesota Voting Rights Act, and noted that he signed other measures last year to make voting easier. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
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(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris announced Tuesday that she had picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential pick in the 2024 presidential race.
Walz was a little-known name outside the region until he began moving up on the list of candidates that also included governors of other states such as California, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
But what happens for Minnesotans now that the governor is seeking a national role?
Will Tim Walz resign?
Walz isn’t required to resign to run for vice president and politically, it wouldn’t make sense for him to do so until after the election is decided. That leaves the door open for him to run for another term as governor after his second term ends, should the Democrats lose.
If Harris and Walz win, he will have to resign his role, though the timing is up to him. He could step down as soon as the election results are known, or wait until the inauguration in January 2025.
Who becomes governor?
With Walz out, the role would pass to current Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, also a Democrat, under Minnesota’s order of succession. It would be the eighth time a lieutenant governor has stepped up due to the resignation or death of a governor.
Flanagan’s appointment to governor would be a historic one, as she would be the state’s first female governor and the country’s first Native American governor.
Who is Peggy Flanagan?
Flanagan is a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives before being elected as lieutenant governor in 2018.
Flanagan’s accomplishments include establishing the nation’s first Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Office and working on initiatives dedicated to combatting homelessness and helping the voices of young women be heard in the state’s capitol.
Flanagan is currently the highest-ranking Native American in executive office.
Who becomes Lieutenant Governor?
If Flanagan steps up to the governor’s office, the second-in-command role passes to state senate president. That role is currently held by Sen. Bobby Joe Champion, another Democrat. He would be the state’s first Black lieutenant governor.
However, that could change depending on when Walz resigns and what happens in a special election in November, which is set to fill the vacant seat of a state senator who resigned to run for Congress.
The state senate is currently deadlocked in a 33-33 split between Republicans and Democrats. If a Democrat wins the seat, the role would presumably go to Champion, unless he decides he doesn’t want to be lieutenant governor and steps down, leaving the party to elect a different president who would then ascend to the job.
If a Republican wins, the balance of power would shift, giving them more leverage in who would fill the role. They could put forward a Senate president from their party or nominate a Democrat in a swing distance in hopes of taking over that vacated seat.
Either way, another special election would have to be held to fill the seat of the state senate president, the timing of which would depend on Walz’s resignation and whether or not the legislature pushes to have November’s winner sworn in early.
