Walz launches reelection campaign in divided Minnesota

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has launched his campaign for a second term in an increasingly divided state, saying he has made the tough calls necessary to beat back the COVID-19 pandemic and revive the economy. The former high school football coach made the announcement in a YouTube video posted Tuesday that shows him standing on a football field. The former congressman won office in 2018 on a theme of “One Minnesota,” a slogan he’s using again for 2022. But the fissures in Minnesota politics have grown deeper since then, mostly disagreements over his management of the pandemic, as well as the unrest and spike in crime that followed the death of George Floyd.