Gov. Tim Walz at the DNC in Chicago in August 2024. (Getty Images)
The Trump-Vance ticket swept the battleground states on election night, catapulting them to victory with 312 electoral votes to Harris’ 226.
Walz has been on a media blitz in recent days, including speaking with the New Yorker, joining MSNBC ahead of President Donald Trump's address to a joint session of Congress, speaking at the South By Southwest film festival on Saturday and teeing up an interview on California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s podcast.
Walz argued that Democrats "are more cautious" in engaging with the media than Republicans, while adding that he felt as if the campaign was never ahead, comparing it to a "prevent defense" strategy during a football game.
"In football parlance, we were in a prevent defense to not lose when we never had anything to lose because I don’t think we were ever ahead," he said, which bolsters reporting following the election that internal Democratic polling showed Harris lagging behind Trump in the lead-up to Nov. 5.
JD Vance and Tim Walz speak during the 2024 vice presidential debate. (Matt Rourke/The Associated Press)
"He was underutilized and that was the symptom of the larger campaign of decision paralysis and decision logjam at the top," one former senior Harris aide told the outlet. "Could he have changed a percent in Wisconsin? Maybe. We still lose even if we win Wisconsin."
Walz was put "in a box," and "we didn’t use him the way we could’ve," the aide added.
"The world seemed to want more Tim Walz, and there were times when I wish they could’ve gotten more Tim Walz," Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said, adding that he "wished they would’ve put [Walz] out there more."
"By the time they finally let him do anything at all, it’s like 20 days left, and he’s doing four states a day, and there’s only so much you could do," another former staffer said of Walz. "It was too short."
The aides argued that Walz faced a steep battle ahead of his debate against then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance, remarking that he was "super nervous" and "in his own head" while preparing to face the Trump running mate on the stage.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign rally outside the Atlanta Civic Center, Nov. 2, 2024. (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press)
Walz revealed in an interview with the New Yorker, published March 2, that he is open to a potential presidential run in 2028, which was met with mockery by conservatives on social media earlier in March.
Walz reiterated in his Politico interview that he is "not saying no" to a potential 2028 presidential run if the opportunity should present itself.
"I’m staying on the playing field to try and help because we have to win," Walz said. "And I will always say this, I will do everything in my power [to help], and as I said, with the vice presidency, if that was me, then I’ll do the job."
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Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for additional comment on his remarks and did not immediately receive a reply.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/walz-reveals-missteps-he-saw-harris-campaign-amid-postmortem-media-blitz