Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday walked back remarks he made earlier this week at a fundraiser in California calling for an end to the state's electoral college system.
Walz visited California Governor Gavin Newsom's private residence in Sacramento on Tuesday to talk about the process of selecting the president of the United States.
“I think we all know that the Electoral College needs to be abolished,” Walz said, according to a pool report of the event reported by Bloomberg. “We need a national popular vote, but that's not the world we live in.”
Just two days later, in an interview with ABC host Michael Strahan, Walz appeared to be struggling to recover from his campaign failures.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arrives for a press conference on gun control at City Hall in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Steven Maturen/Getty Images)
During the interview, Strahan told Walz he wanted to go back to something the Democratic vice presidential nominee said on Tuesday.
“You said, 'I think we all know that the Electoral College needs to be abolished,'” Strahan said. “But later that night the campaign came out and they said that was not their stance.”
Walz agreed with the ABC host that that is not the camp's position.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, Democratic vice presidential candidate, speaks on “60 Minutes.'' (Screenshot/CBS News)
“What I'm saying is that there are people in every state who feel like every vote counts. And I think there are people who feel like it doesn't,” Walz said. Ta. “We say the camp's position is clear and that's not their position. Their position and my position is that no matter what state you're in, your vote matters. Make sure everyone understands.”
“So you and Vice President Harris disagree,” Strahan asked.
“Well, I've talked about it in the past, and she's been very clear on this point, and the campaign's position and my position is the campaign's position,” Walz responded.
In 2023, Walz signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This means that each state will allocate all its electoral votes to whoever wins the popular vote for president, regardless of how that state votes. The deal will only go into effect if backers secure pledges from states with at least 270 electoral votes.
A Harris Walz campaign spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the vice presidential candidate believes that every vote in the Electoral College matters.
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Voters cast their votes in 2022 at official ballot boxes. (Mathieu Louis Rolland/Getty Images)
“He was commenting on how his campaign is being structured to get 270 electoral votes to a large group of powerful supporters. He was also commenting on how the campaign is being structured to win 270 electoral votes. We were grateful for their support,” the spokesperson said.
Fox News Digital reached out again to the Walz-Harris campaign regarding Walz's recent comments about the Electoral College during an ABC interview.
The Electoral College is made up of a certain number of electors from each state who vote for president and vice president. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the candidate who receives the most votes receives all electors in that state.
Maine and Nebraska use a proportional system to allocate their electors.
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The winner needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election.
The Electoral College was created by the Founding Fathers to prevent large states from overwhelming small states or wielding excessive power in presidential elections. Abolishing this system would require a major constitutional amendment.
Louis Casiano of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
