Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz held a town hall event at Roosevelt High School in Des Moines March 14, 2025, answering questions and hearing from Iowans who expressed their problems with cuts made by the Trump administration. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
DES MOINES — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told Iowans on his first stop of a national town hall tour that he wanted to give a voice to people who feel unheard by Republicans in Washington.
But he said there was another motive for these events: he is “soul-searching” following the 2024 general election, when he and Vice President Kamala Harris lost to President Donald Trump, to find how Democrats can win again.
More than 1,000 people filled the auditorium at Roosevelt Public High School in Des Moines to hear from Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, at the first stop of his “town hall” series.
The national tour is focused on areas currently represented by House Republicans. It was organized in response to news that House GOP campaign leadership told members not to host town halls because of backlash about funding cuts by the Trump administration and Elon Musk through his temporary organization, the Department of Government Efficiency.
At the event, several Iowans shared their concerns about cuts to workforce and programs through the U.S. Department of Education, Veterans’ Affairs and Agriculture, as well as Medicaid, that have been proposed or moved forward by Trump and Musk, and asked Walz what they could do to push back.
Walz said he did not have the answers that many people who are struggling because of Trump administration and Republican actions want, saying, “if I did, we wouldn’t be in this goddamn mess.”
While he said he did not have all answers for how people will navigate the loss of services or funding, Walz emphasized the importance of sharing their stories and highlighting the real impact of these federal actions.
“If you went back to those 77 million people who voted for Donald Trump, and you asked them, ‘Do you want to cut care for veterans in this country,’ I would guess a large percentage of them would say, ‘No, we don’t want you to,’” Walz said. “So this is a case again of, they didn’t vote for this stuff, but they’re getting it.”
Part of the problem, the Minnesota Democrats said, was Democrats’ messaging. Answering a question from a special education teacher, Walz said Democrats need to make a better case for education funding, because he did not believe that many of those who voted for Trump in 2024 or chose to not participate “want you to lose your funding so that you can deliver for kids who need it.”
Walz also said he believes the same issue of messaging applies when Democrats have talked about public spending on programs like Medicare and Social Security.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, joined by Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart, answered questions and heard from Iowans about cuts made by the Trump administration during a town hall event in Des Moines March 14, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
“I don’t know — and again, I’m trying to figure it out from all of you — how did that message not resonate when we said they’re not going to support Social Security, that they’re going to cut it?” Walz said. “You can’t cut a trillion dollars unless you do what Elon Musk finally admitted last week, ‘We have to go after the entitlements.’ And, by the way, we have to start using our language better — those are not entitlements — we paid into them, that’s our money.”
Walz said he believed part of the problem was “when Democrats have been in power, we’ve been timid about passing things that make a difference on their lives.” He pointed to programs like the Affordable Care Act passed by former President Barack Obama, which he said made important changes like giving health care protections to people with preexisting conditions, but was still overly costly and cumbersome for most Americans.
Speaking to Cheryl Hayes, a Des Moines resident who has family members who rely on Medicaid, Walz said ” we need to tell your son that we need a health care system that he doesn’t have to worry that one election could throw him out and into the streets.”
Walz’s tour is focused on areas currently represented by U.S. House Republicans in potentially vulnerable districts. He also has a Saturday stop planned in Omaha, Nebraska, currently represented by Rep. Don Bacon and Tuesday visit to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where Rep. Derrick Van Orden holds the seat. Des Moines is in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, where Rep. Zach Nunn won a close reelection in 2024 against Democratic challenger Lanon Baccam.
While introducing Walz, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said it was “galling” to see Nunn not hold town halls as an elected representative.
“That is a travesty,” Hart said. “And he needs to know, and I think you’re sending him a message today, that his job is to serve the voters in this district.”
In a statement to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, Nunn disputed the characterization that he is not holding public events.
“One of the best parts of serving in Congress is hearing directly from Iowans — that’s why I’ve held hundreds of listening sessions across all 21 counties in our district,” Nunn said. “Iowans voted for change in November, and I’m delivering: securing the border, unleashing U.S. energy, and cutting taxes for working Americans. While out-of-state Democrats hold fundraisers disguised as forums, we’re focused on real results.”
At the end of the event, Walz asked Iowans what they wanted to see Democrats doing in light of Trump administration actions. Iowans shouted back answers, ranging from “be more aggressive” to “support trans people” to “find working class candidates.”
When one person called to “stop the partisanship,” Walz pushed back.
“I agree on this, I tell them, try and find solutions, but I think we need to separate where we’re willing to compromise and where we’re going to hold to our values,” Walz said.
Though Iowa’s caucuses are no longer first in the nation for the Democratic presidential nomination cycle, a trip to Iowa has historically been a part of campaigning to become a presidential candidate.
Walz did not comment Friday on any plans to run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028, but he has told reporters in recent weeks that he would not rule out a future run. In an interview with the New Yorker earlier in March, Walz said that he would consider running “if I think I could offer something,” but also said he “wouldn’t be arrogant enough to think that it needs to be me.”
Iowa Capital Dispatch and Nebraska Examiner are part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
