Minnesota Democratic Senator Nick Frentz is defending his running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as the governor faces accusations of leadership and criticism of state policies.
Several Republican state lawmakers told Fox that Walz was “difficult” to work with when they served with him in the state Legislature.
Frenz, who now represents the city of North Mankato, offered a different perspective, telling Fox News Digital that in his experience, Walz is “very forthright and very easy to work with.”
“He was a high school teacher and football coach in the ’90s when he started his family in Mankato. He’s a genuine, down-to-earth guy. He’s honest. He’s a fun guy,” Frenz said in an exclusive interview. “His rural upbringing is real, and his commitment to all people across the country, including rural America, is real, and I think his record speaks for itself.”
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Minnesota Senator Nick Frenz, left, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, right, fish on Lake Madison. (Nick Frenz)
“We passed a bill that had bipartisan support. We didn’t always agree, so if by ‘difficult to work with’ you mean we didn’t always agree, then yes. But a better way to put it is he’s a Democratic governor in a Democratic-leaning state, and neither the Democrats nor the Republicans got what they wanted, but I think the state as a whole has done very well,” he said.
Frenz also pushed back against claims that Walz is leaning to the left. Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hahn called Walz “far from moderate,” and the Trump campaign said Labeled Waltz “Extremist.”
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“We support biofuels, which is so important to our agricultural economy. He’s a leader on that. We’ve supported water infrastructure, which our small towns and rural areas desperately need. And we support a tax system that includes cutting Social Security taxes. So all of this shows a commitment to all of Minnesota. And as he used to say, ‘I don’t just represent all of Minnesota. I wake up there,'” Frentz said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz awaits the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in Saint Paul, Minnesota on March 14. (Stephen Maturen)
The governor has also been heavily criticized for his response to the 2020 riots that saw several local businesses burned and the 3rd Precinct police station abandoned following the killing of George Floyd.
“My criticism is that half of the people who were arrested were not from the Twin Cities metropolitan area,” Frenz said. “Every state leader has to defend the claim that Americans have the freedom to peacefully assemble, but when they start damaging property, it’s over. And I think Governor Walz felt that way too.”
He said Walz has the “right views” to not only “support policies and legislation that help rural America, but also oppose those that are bad for rural America.”
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“I’ve never heard him say a bad thing about any southern Minnesota resident, regardless of whether they vote Republican or Democrat,” Frenz added, “and I think that’s exactly the type of leadership this country needs. By ‘all in it together,’ I don’t mean we don’t agree, but I want people to know that he’s someone who visits farms with us, talks about rural issues, cares about agriculture and the economy, and doesn’t just talk, he passes legislation that benefits rural America.”
