TIM WALZ!!

>> Cathy: WELL, AS YOU HEARD, SENATOR TINA SMITH DELIVERED THE DELEGATE VOTES FOR THE HARRIS-WALZ TICKET IN CHICAGO EARLIER THIS WEEK AND SHE'S RETURNED TO MINNESOTA TO TALK WITH US HERE ON THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE MINNESOTA STATE NEAR.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

>> GREAT TO SEE YOU BOTH.

WHAT FUN THIS IS TO BE HERE.

>> BRIAN: I THOUGHT YOU WOULD STILL BE ON THE FLOOR.

>> I KNOW, THE MINNESOTA DELEGATION, YOU ALL, WAS LEVITATING WITH EXCITEMENT.

IT WAS QUITE THE THING.

>> Cathy: SEEMED LIKE A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE THIS TIME AROUND.

I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN TO SEVERAL DEMOCRATIC CONVENTIONS IN THE PAST.

THIS FELT DIFFERENT?

>> OH, THE -- JUST THE ENTHUSIASM AND THE JOY THAT -- I THINK EVERYBODY WHO WAS WATCHING IT ON TELEVISION COULD SEE.

I MEAN, IT WAS INTENSIFIED ON THE FLOOR AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE -- MINNESOTANS WERE SORT OF HUMBLE BUT WE DO KIND OF THINK WE'RE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, AND THIS WEEK EVERYBODY KNEW THAT WE WERE THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, RIGHT?

[Cheering] >> BRIAN: YOU SAID TO ONE NEWSPAPER REPORTER THAT THERE WAS LIKE A MOTHER SWITCH THAT WENT ON AT THIS CONVENTION AND PERHAPS IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF THIS CAMPAIGN.

YOU'VE NOTED THE ENERGY.

YOU THINK THAT THE MESSAGE -- AND THE MESSENGERS YOU HAVE ARE BETTER, SO WHY ALL THE UNDERDOG TALK?

>> WELL, I THINK YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ELECTION IS GOING TO BE INCREDIBLY CLOSE, AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS WEEKEND -- THIS WEEK WAS TO, OF COURSE, GENERATE ENTHUSIASM AND EXCITEMENT BUT THAT'S ONLY THE FIRST STEP.

I MEAN, THE CHALLENGE, THE WORK IS TO TURN THAT ENTHUSIASM INTO ACTION, AND SO THAT'S THE WORK THAT ALL OF US HAVE TO DO IN THE DAYS AND WEEKS AHEAD, BUT I THINK WHAT THE VICE PRESIDENT DID LAST NIGHT TO KIND OF REINTRODUCE HERSELF TO THIS COUNTRY AND TO REALLY ROOT THE CAMPAIGN AND BIG PACKAGES AROUND PATRIOTISM AND FREEDOM WILL BE BIG AS WE GO INTO THE FALL.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW WHAT I NOTICED, THE VICE PRESIDENT REALLY HASN'T HIT HARD ON THE NATURE OF HER CANDIDACY, OTHERS HAVE BUT SHE HASN'T.

WHY DO YOU THINK SHE'S TAKING THAT STRATEGY?

>> I'M THINKING OF MY COLLEAGUE LAPHONZA BUTLER FROM CALIFORNIA, AND SHE SAID THIS, WHEN YOU'RE A BLACK WOMAN, YOU WAKE UP EVERY DAY AND YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND YOU DON'T NEED TO REMIND YOURSELF OR ANYBODY ELSE THAT THAT'S WHO YOU ARE.

AND I THINK THAT IS WHY THE VICE PRESIDENT IS REALLY LEANING INTO HER EXPERIENCE AS A PROSECUTOR, AS SOMEBODY WITH STRONG EXPERIENCE, AND SHE DOESN'T NEED TO TELL PEOPLE WHO SHE IS.

MAYBE, EXCEPT FOR DONALD TRUMP WHO SEEMS A LITTLE CONFUSED BUT, OTHERWISE, SHE JUST -- SHE NEEDS TO LET PEOPLE SEE THE STRENGTH OF HER PERSONALITY, WHICH I THINK CAME THROUGH SO WELL LAST NIGHT.

>> BRIAN: THAT WORD "FREEDOM" YOU USED, THERE WERE A LOT OF FLAGS AND PATRIOTIC IMAGERY.

DID YOU FEEL THE PARTY NEEDS TO GRAB IT BACK, THAT THE REPUBLICANS HAVE TAKEN HOLD OF THAT WORD AND THOSE TERMS IN THE PAST?

>> I THINK THERE WAS SUCH A -- ONE OF THE REASONS THERE WAS SO MUCH ENTHUSIASM ON THE FLOOR, AND I THINK AROUND THE COUNTRY, IS JUST THE SORT OF WHOLE-HEARTED EMBRACING OF OUR LOVE OF THIS COUNTRY, OUR LOVE FOR THE CORE VALUES OF THIS COUNTRY, AND THEN PUTTING THAT RIGHT OUT THERE FOR EVERYBODY TO SEE RATHER THAN SHYING AWAY FROM IT, AND I THINK -- I THINK IT REALLY WORKS.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, I WAS TALKING TO A MINNESOTA DELEGATE WHO WAS ONE OF THE UNCOMMITTEDs AND SHE'S STILL NOT HAPPY.

SHE DIDN'T HEAR WHAT SHE WANTED TO HEAR FROM VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS AND WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT PRO-PALESTINIANIAN FOLKS WERE NOT ALLOWED TO SPEAK AT THE CONVENTION, AND I'M WONDERING, IT'S AN INTERESTING SITUATION AND KIND OF A TOUGH NEEDLE TO THREAD.

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN WITH THIS?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW WHEN I ANNOUNCED THE MINNESOTA ROLL CALL, WE HAVE 10 UNCOMMITTED DELEGATES FROM MINNESOTA, POSSIBLY THE LARGEST NUMBER IN THE WHOLE COUNTRY, IS THAT RIGHT, BRIAN?

AND 81 DELEGATES COMMITTED TO THE HARRIS-WALZ TICKET.

WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT -- I MEAN, I LISTENED CLOSELY TO WHAT VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS SAID LAST NIGHT.

A STRONG RECOGNITION OF ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF AND TO PROTECT ITSELF, REFERRING EXPLICITLY TO THE HOSTAGES AND BRINGING THE HOSTAGES HOME, AND THEN A STRONG STATEMENT ABOUT A CEASE FIRE, THE NEED FOR A CEASE FIRE, AND THE HUMANITY OF THE PEOPLE IN GAZA WHO HAVE SUFFERED SO MUCH AND THAT I BELIEVE IS WHAT AMERICA NEEDS TO HEAR.

>> BRIAN: HOW DOES KAMALA HARRIS DETACH, OR DOES SHE HAVE TO DETACH FROM THE BIDEN POLICIES, ESPECIALLY THE ONES THAT AREN'T GOING OVER SO WELL?

>> I THINK SHE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET PEOPLE KNOW WHAT SHE THINKS AND WHERE SHE WANTS TO GO, AND THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN AND THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION HAVE DONE THAT ARE BROADLY POPULAR.

THE INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE AND ROADS AND BRIDGES, THE STRONG INVESTMENT IN A NEW MANUFACTURING BASE, AND I PARTICULARLY LIKE THE WAY SHE AGGRESSIVELY SAID, STRONGLY SAID, I WILL VOTE FOR THAT BIPARTISAN IMMIGRATION BORDER PROTECTION BILL THAT DONALD TRUMP KILLED, THAT WOULD BE LAW BUT FOR HIS OPPOSITION TO IT.

THAT'S, I THINK, A REALLY STRONG EXAMPLE OF HOW SHE WAS MAKING THE CONTRAST BUT ALSO POINTING OUT, THIS IS A BIPARTISAN PROPOSAL.

>> Cathy: SO WE'RE HERE AT THE MINNESOTA STATE FAIR.

WILL YOU BE HERE AT THE 2026 MINNESOTA STATE FAIR RUNNING AGAIN FOR REELECTION?

>> WELL, THAT'S WHAT I'M PLANNING ON.

THAT'S WHAT I'M PLANNING ON AND I -- [Cheering] [Cheers & Applause] >> THAT'S WHAT I'M PLANNING ON.

>> Cathy: YOU'RE PLANNING ON RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION, ALL RIGHT.

YOU MIGHT HAVE JUST MADE SOME NEWS, WHO KNOWS?

YOU HAVE SOME FOOD -- >> I BROUGHT YOU A TREAT.

I'M VERY EXCITED.

I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF TALK ABOUT THE DEEP-FRIED RANCH DRESSING AND I BROUGHT THIS FOR YOU, BECAUSE I LIKE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

THE HOT HONEY I THINK DEFINITELY MAKES IT.

>> Brian: THANK YOU, SENATOR.

WE GOT TO WRAP THIS UP.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU