Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is facing accusations that he fabricated key details about a pivotal moment in his political journey.
The controversy centers on his claim that he and two students were barred from attending a 2004 George W. Bush campaign rally because of a John Kerry sticker, and new evidence has surfaced that challenges the accuracy of Walz’s narrative, suggesting he was not denied entry and had already been politically active before the event, as the New York Post reports.
Walz, a former high school teacher and football coach, has repeatedly referenced this incident during his political career. He said it was a turning point that inspired him to run for Congress. According to his version, he and two of his students were prevented from entering a rally for Bush's re-election campaign in Mankato because one of the students had a Kerry sticker.
However, recent reports indicate that the teens in question were not his students and were not turned away because of the sticker. Matt Klaber, one of the individuals involved, was a Mankato West Senior High School graduate who had not taken a class with Walz. His companion, Nick Burkhart, attended Mankato East, and neither student was barred from the rally due to their political affiliations.
Furthermore, records show that Walz was already politically active prior to the rally, participating as a "Veteran for Kerry" in protests against the Bush campaign. These revelations cast doubt on his longstanding narrative of being apolitical until the alleged rally incident.
According to Klaber and Burkhart, the situation was more complex than Walz has portrayed. Both men were initially denied tickets to a different Bush event due to unfavorable comments they had made about the president. But after further consideration, Republican aides offered them tickets to another rally, where Walz accompanied them at the request of Klaber’s family.
The Secret Service, however, flagged Klaber and Burkhart as potential disruptions due to their earlier remarks. As a result, they were denied entry to the event, while Walz himself was allowed inside. This incident appears to differ significantly from Walz’s version of events, where he emphasized his frustration over being turned away alongside the students.
In a 2006 interview, Walz expressed indignation at being kept out of the rally, saying, "As a soldier, I told them I had a right to see my commander in chief." This statement has since become a cornerstone of his political origin story, even though the facts surrounding the event now appear to contradict it.
Despite the discrepancies in his story, Walz has continued to recount the rally incident over the years. In August 2020, he tweeted about the event, describing how it motivated his decision to run for office. "Above all, I was struck by how deeply divided our country was becoming," he wrote, "that a veteran and a group of high schoolers would be turned away at the door."
This narrative has persisted throughout his political career, with some of his supporters reinforcing it in public forums. A 2018 op-ed in the Mankato Free Press echoed Walz’s belief that "everyone should be allowed to see their president, regardless of political affiliation." This sentiment, rooted in Walz’s story, became a recurring theme as he campaigned for higher office.
However, not everyone agrees with this portrayal. Chris Faulkner, who witnessed the events firsthand, has been critical of Walz’s account. "It’s clear he was politically involved before that moment," Faulkner said, calling Walz's version "bulls–t" and accusing him of manufacturing a compelling origin story for political gain.
The controversy surrounding Walz’s account has resurfaced in light of his recent remarks at the Democratic National Convention in September 2024. During his speech, he credited his high school coaching and teaching experience with inspiring him to run for office, mentioning the same students who had supposedly been turned away from the Bush rally.
This claim, combined with his earlier statements about the rally incident, has drawn further scrutiny as more details emerge. Nick Burkhart, one of the students involved, clarified in 2021 that his Kerry sticker was not visible at the rally, contradicting a key element of Walz's story. Meanwhile, Walz and his campaign have remained largely silent on the matter, declining to comment when approached by multiple outlets. As the discrepancies between his story and the evidence continue to grow, questions about the accuracy of his political origin tale linger.
