Tim Walz

Progressive

Democrat

Governor

Minnesota

Current Position: Governor of Minnesota

Policy Positions

For municipal broadband; signed law rescinding restrictions on publicly owned municipal broadband networks by local governments
Against the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

Against the 2008 $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) bank bailout
Against the 2008 $14 billion government loans to bail out automobile manufacturers
For paid family and medical leave; pushed for and signed paid leave legislation during Minnesota's Democratic trifecta

For the Affordable Care Act; voted to advance the ACA out of the House
For medical debt protections; signed the Minnesota Debt Fairness Act preventing health care providers from denying treatment due to outstanding medical debt and preventing medical debt from affecting credit scores

For universal free school meals; signed legislation requiring public schools to provide free breakfasts and lunches to all students regardless of income
For free college tuition for low-income families; signed legislation providing free college tuition for qualifying low-income families

For transitioning Minnesota to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040; signed law requiring wind, solar, and other carbon-free sources to supply all state electricity, implemented stricter tailpipe emissions standards, and set a goal of 20% electric vehicles by 2030

For abortion rights; signed the Protect Reproductive Options Act protecting access to abortion at all stages of pregnancy, signed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act banning enforcement of out-of-state abortion-related warrants, cut funding for crisis pregnancy centers, and has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood
For transgender protections; signed legislation establishing Minnesota as a trans refuge state

For restoring voting rights for felons; pushed for and signed legislation restoring voting rights for felons during Minnesota's Democratic trifecta

For driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants; signed legislation granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
Against the Iraq War; opposed the Bush administration's 2007 troop surge, though voted for a funding bill to ensure troop safety while negotiating withdrawal
Against ICE enforcement operations under the Trump administration; called ICE a 'modern-day Gestapo' and criticized Trump and Secretary Noem following the killing of a Minneapolis resident by an ICE agent
For a ceasefire in Gaza; expressed support for a 'working cease-fire' and took a sympathetic view toward voters protesting U.S. handling of the Gaza war

For gun regulations; signed universal background checks and red-flag laws in Minnesota (2023), signed bill increasing penalties for straw purchases; previously supported gun rights as a congressman with an NRA A-grade endorsement before denouncing the NRA after the 2018 Parkland shooting
For cannabis legalization; signed House File 100 legalizing recreational cannabis in Minnesota in May 2023
For police reform; signed legislation including a limited ban on chokeholds, ban on 'warrior training', de-escalation training requirements, and creation of an independent unit for investigating fatal police encounters