Tim Walz Returns Home to Mankato to Mark Pheasant Hunting Season and Visit Former School

As a high school marching band played a rendition of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz walked down the 50-yard line at Friday’s crosstown rivalry football game between Mankato East High School and Mankato West High School.

After joining the Democratic presidential ticket in August, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Friday made his first return to Mankato, where he taught and coached for a decade before being elected to Congress in 2006.

Walz, who was named the Democratic vice presidential nominee in August, joined Mankato West captains for the coin toss at Friday’s crosstown rivalry football game against Mankato East at Minnesota State University-Mankato’s Blakeslee Stadium.

“Joining them for the coin toss, former Mankato West defensive coordinator, decadelong geography teacher, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz,” the announcer said.

The crowd reacted with mild applause, mostly from Mankato West supporters. After the coin toss, Walz took a seat on the bleachers, where he took selfies and signed autographs alongside his mother, Darlene Walz.

The governor cheered throughout the game as Mankato West took an early lead, and although he departed at halftime, Mankato West held on to win 28-7.

Walz also stopped by Mankato West earlier in the day to greet players as they left for the stadium and speak to old colleagues. As he walked into the school, Walz was warmly greeted by Sherri Blasing, the school’s principal and a former neighbor of the Walzes in Mankato.

“Welcome home, Coach! Welcome home!” Blasing said.

Walz’s visit to the football game and his stop at Mankato West marked his first return to the town since joining the Democratic presidential ticket in August. He moved to Mankato in 1996 to teach social studies and coach football at Mankato West, along with his wife, Gwen, who taught English.

Since Walz was named the Democratic vice presidential nominee, the Harris campaign has sought to highlight his tenure at Mankato West as the defining aspect of his background, more so even than his over 20 years in the National Guard or his six terms in Congress. Vice President Kamala Harris often refers to Walz as “Coach Walz,” a moniker now seen on campaign signs at Walz’s rallies.

Adding to his Midwestern fall weekend itinerary, Walz on Saturday marked the opening of pheasant hunting season by going on a hunt, which he called the “best two hours” he’d spent “in two weeks,” according to a pool report.

Reporters followed his hunting party, which included several other hunters and a few hunting dogs, from a safe distance as he trekked through Minnesota grasslands for several miles. Walz ultimately did not have a chance to fire his Beretta A400 shotgun, but he spoke after the hunt about why he purchased it.

“I bought it when I was shooting a lot of trap because it has kind of a … thing to kick off so when you get old it doesn’t hurt your shoulders as much,” Walz said.

Walz’s return to Minnesota is part of the campaign’s bid to win over male voters in Midwestern battleground states. A campaign official told CNN that Walz’s recent interviews with local outlets in Midwestern battleground states and a sit-down interview with former NFL star Michael Strahan on ABC’s “Good Morning America” were also part of the push to engage persuadable male voters. A Pew Research Center national survey released Thursday found 51% of registered male voters support former President Donald Trump, while 43% support Harris.

In an interview that aired Friday with WPVI News in Philadelphia, Walz said the Harris campaign is working to close the gap in support among male voters with messaging on economic and social issues targeted toward men.

“These are folks that want to make sure they’re able to get a good job, be able to buy a home, get a good education. Those are not that different. And I think it’s more of taking it to them, making the message tailored,” Walz said.

But for Walz, the return home was also a brief respite from a campaign that has been particularly challenging lately. The governor has faced an uptick in scrutiny for making false statements before and after joining the Harris campaign, including repeating the false claim he was in China during the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests as part of an up-and-down performance during the vice presidential debate earlier this month.

Walz’s return to Mankato was received well by some locals. In a video released by the campaign on Friday, Walz’s former students and players reminisced about the Democratic vice presidential nominee’s time as a teacher and coach. Sarah Manes, a former student, described Walz as a high-energy teacher who sought to form meaningful connections with students, joking, “I don’t think he ever sat behind his desk