Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Thursday backtracked on a statement he made at a California fundraiser earlier this week in which he called for eliminating the Electoral College.
On Tuesday, Walz was at California Gov. Gavin Newsom's private home in Sacramento as he talked about the process of electing U.S. presidents.
“I think we all know the Electoral College has to go,” Walz said, according to a report on the event, according to Bloomberg. “We need a nationwide popular vote, but that's not the world we live in.”
Just two days later, in an interview with ABC host Michael Strahan, Walz appeared to be shirking his way out of a campaign mistake.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arrives to speak at a news conference on gun laws at City Hall in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
During the interview, Strahan told Walz he wanted to go back to something the Democratic vice presidential candidate said Tuesday.
“You said, 'I think we all know the Electoral College has to go,'” Strahan said. “But the campaign came out later that evening and they said that wasn't their position.”
Walz agreed with the ABC host that this was not the campaign's position.
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Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on “60 Minutes”. (Screenshot/CBS News)
“What I'm trying to emphasize is that some people believe that every vote has to count in every state, but I think some people think that's not the case,” Walz said. “We recognize that the campaign's position is clear, not their position. Their position and my position is to make sure that everyone understands that their voice, no matter what condition they are in, matters.”
“So this is something you and Vice President Harris disagree on,” Strahan asked.
“Um, I've said this in the past that she's been very clear on this and the campaign and my position is the campaign's position,” Walz replied.
In 2023, Walz signed the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, an agreement in which each state allocates all of its electoral votes to whoever wins the popular vote for president, regardless of how the individual states voted. The agreement will enter into force provided that its supporters obtain commitments from countries with at least 270 electoral votes.
A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that the vice presidential candidate believes that every vote counts in the Electoral College.
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In 2022, voters will cast their votes at official ballot boxes. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty Images)
“He commented, among other things, on how the campaign to obtain 270 electoral votes was being constructed by a crowd of strong supporters. He thanked them for their support which helps finance these efforts,” the spokesman said.
Fox News Digital referenced the Walz-Harris campaign again following Walz's latest comments about the Electoral College during an interview with ABC.
The Electoral College consists of a certain number of electors from each state who cast votes for president and vice president. In 48 states and Washington, D.C., the candidate who receives the most votes in his or her favor receives all of the electoral votes for that state.
Maine and Nebraska allocate their electors using a proportional system.
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The winner needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidential election.
The Electoral College was created by the Founding Fathers to ensure that large states did not dominate small states in presidential elections and did not wield too much power. Abolishing this system would require major changes to the constitution.
Fox News Digital's Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
