Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
A haunting photo of Hillary Clinton emerged about 48 hours after she lost the 2016 election to Donald Trump.
In it, Clinton is dressed in casual clothes and standing next to a young mom with a toddler tucked into a carrier on her back. Both were out hiking in a Westchester County, N.Y., nature preserve. Days before, Clinton was at the center of the political universe, with every move in her campaign’s waning days accompanied by staffers and camera-toting journalists. A day after conceding, she and her husband Bill were enjoying a quiet walk near their home with only a star-struck fellow hiker interrupting their solitude.
The photo captures more than two smiling women. It’s also a reminder of how swiftly defeated presidential candidates exit the national stage and are thrust back into ordinary life, potentially even finding themselves in the political wilderness after losing. Gov. Tim Walz is now making a similar warp-speed return to normality after his bid for the vice presidency failed on Tuesday. Unlike Clinton, however, he’s still got his political day job as Minnesota’s CEO.
That lofty state position and the important work it involves will certainly ease Walz’s abrupt re-entry from the political stratosphere. But it also requires him to nimbly shift gears back to Minnesota-specific needs after more than three months of looking at issues through a national lens. As he adjusts, the Minnesota Star Tribune Editorial Board urges him to prioritize a promise made during his first run for governor in 2018, when he vowed to knit a divided state back together as “One Minnesota.”
Walz is now in his second gubernatorial term and with two years left. Must-do’s on his near-term agenda include working on a budget proposal with his team and getting ready for the Minnesota Legislature’s Jan. 14 kickoff. On Friday, the Editorial Board listed high-profile issues for the coming session, including extending the state’s reinsurance program or finding an alternative to it. This is critical to prevent eye-watering future health insurance rate hikes for those who buy coverage on their own, such as farm families and the self-employed.
But the second half of Walz’s second term also urgently requires making good on that vow to leave the state more united than it was when he took office. It’s a monumental task, but it’s more vital than ever after the 2024 election, when about half the electorate sees former President Donald Trump as a potential autocrat and the other half sees him as an economic and cultural savior. Emotions are running high and aren’t likely to simmer down as Trump moves quickly to implement controversial policies.
