Walz gets chilly reception at high school football game as popularity appears to decline

Kamala Harris' choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to serve as her vice-presidential running mate was initially heralded by the media as a nod to Midwestern values and fatherly likeability, but the tide seems to be turning as the campaign nears its crescendo.

Walz's decline in favorability was seen in stark relief on Friday, as Fox News reported, when he ventured out to a high school football game to watch two local rivals do battle and was met with a response that was lukewarm at best, perhaps prompting some Democrats to wonder if a replacement is in order.

Protests, indifference greet Walz

Turning up at Mankato West High School, Walz encountered a series of hiccups that perhaps neither he nor his handlers anticipated.

A group of pro-Palestinian protestors were amassed outside the sports venue, taking the opportunity to voice opposition to the Biden-Harris approach to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Making matters worse for Walz, video footage of his interactions with game attendees revealed a noticeable indifference among many and a discernible look of disapproval among others, though there were certain members of the crowd who spoke with and even embraced the vice-presidential hopeful.

Perhaps most awkward for Walz were sightings on some of the young athletes' towels message of support for former President Donald Trump.

The visit, according to Blue Earth County GOP chair Yvonne Simon, was something of a Hail Mary pass on the part of the Harris campaign, noting, “They're getting desperate to get the word out.”

Football foibles persist

Walz's Friday foray to watch football was jarringly reminiscent of another rather disastrous attempt to connect with Midwestern sports fans earlier this fall.

Late last month, Walz ventured to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to watch the Minnesota Golden Gophers battle the Michigan Wolverines at the Big House, as the New York Post noted.

However, despite the overwhelmingly liberal nature of the college town, Walz was loudly booed by fans and heckled with the moniker, “Tampon Tim,” a take on the governor's support of mandatory provision of feminine hygiene products in public school bathrooms, even those designated for boys.

Though there were some signs of support for Walz amid the sea of maize and blue, one fan posted on TikTok, simply, “VP Candidate Tim Walz pissed off Michigan fans.”

Perhaps, at least for the remainder of the presidential campaign season Walz ought to stay away from the gridiron, lest Harris decided that a last-minute substitution needs to take the field.