WISCONSIN — Voters who spoke to Fox News Digital in the battleground state of Wisconsin found that despite the proximity and Midwestern characteristics of Vice President Harris' running mate, Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.), I didn't have a good impression of him.
“Who is Tim Walz?” Diana Altweese, a resident of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, said she plans to vote for former President Donald Trump after supporting him in 2016 and 2020.
Fox News Digital interviewed voters in Milwaukee, Kenosha and Waukesha counties and asked them whether Walz's position resonated with them as a Midwesterner from neighboring Minnesota.
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Voters interviewed by Fox News Digital in Wisconsin did not support Walz. (Reuters)
“I mean, if you like people who are completely stupid, he's a great guy,” said Brian Morawski of Milwaukee County.
“I mean, he's someone I hate, but he's someone I can relate to,” he said of Waltz.
Altwies said she had heard Harris' last name but didn't actually know who Harris' running mate was.
“I've never seen him on TV or anything,” she said.
It's worth noting that Harris and Walz have given far fewer interviews than President Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio).
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Walz was selected as Harris' running mate shortly after she began her campaign. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Kathy Przekwas of Kenosha County said she doesn't like Harris' running mate “at all.”
“I watch him a lot,” she said.
She gave the impression that Waltz is a “fast talker,” explaining that he “throws in a lot of things that aren't true, but he speaks really fast.”
“I don't like any of the things he did in Minnesota, because I know all of that and how he handled the pandemic.”
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Walz was criticized for opening a hotline for people to report others during the pandemic. (Getty Images)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Walz established a hotline to report people not adhering to his social distancing guidelines. “We're seeing crowds that are a little too big, especially around the lake,” he was quoted as saying in early 2020.
“It's being used and we just want people to be able to call and let people know,” he said. “It's for their own benefit. If you're going to see people who might not be well-informed about this, this is an educational thing,” Walz said in defense of the hotline around the same time. He is reported to have said.
The Minnesota Reformer reported that Walz's stay-at-home executive order could have resulted in a fine of up to $1,000 or 90 days in jail.
Przekwas described Midwesterners as “natural and down-to-earth,” but I don't think that description applies to Waltz.
“I think that's what he's trying to portray, but I don't think it's really that way.”
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Vance is from Ohio. (Reuters/Carlos Barria)
FOX News Digital only found voters who didn't like Walz, but Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Ben Wikler claimed, “So many people have said, 'He looks like my father.'” did.
“Tim Walth has extraordinary credentials, especially for voters in Wisconsin,” he said.
“He's a very familiar type of person.”
According to the chairman, what people in Wisconsin want is good neighbors. “That's very important,” he explained.
“And when you look at the way Tim Walz lives his life and the stories he tells, you see that he is a good neighbor that everyone admires and wants to live next door to.”
Asked about Walz, Wisconsin Republican Party Executive Director Andrew Iverson said, “Actually, I've heard that there are a lot of people in Wisconsin who are very excited about J.D. Vance.”
Sen. Vance, President Trump's running mate, is also from the Midwest and grew up in Ohio.
“A lot of people are excited for him because he has a great story to tell,” he said of the “Hillbilly Elegy” author.
As for Walz, Iverson argued that voters are aware of his “failed history.”
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“They know that because of his failed policies as governor, many Minnesotans actually moved across the border to Wisconsin,” he added.
In Wisconsin, he said, “people are more excited about J.D. Vance than they are about Tim Waltz.”
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