Governor Tim Walz Hosts Town Hall at Pablo Center in Eau Claire

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz held a town hall in Eau Claire on Tuesday night, covering topics from potential Medicaid cuts to Elon Musk.

The town hall was the first time Governor Walz has returned to Eau Claire since before the 2024 election. The former Vice Presidential nominee aimed to energize residents to push back on the Trump administration and to support Dane County Judge Susan Crawford’s campaign for the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court election.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin organized the event as a “People v. Musk” town hall. Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler claimed Musk-affiliated groups have already spent over $13 million on the State Supreme Court race.

After delivering his own speech, Walz took questions submitted by the audience before the event started. Local residents asked questions on topics like Medicaid and Social Security, which could be facing massive cuts under the Trump administration.

One resident likened the current political climate to efforts to save the world from Hitler during World War II. In response, Governor Walz said “The road to authoritarianism is littered with people telling you you’re overreacting. You’re not overreacting.”

At various times during the event, Governor Walz noted that residents should be able to share their concerns with their elected representatives. Those comments were aimed at Congressman Derrick Van Orden, who is now conducting virtual town halls amid backlash against federal funding cuts at in-person town halls across the country. Congressman Van Orden repeated claims that outside agitators have been targeting Republican districts in a number of social media posts before the town hall.

In addition to criticisms of the Trump administration and Congressional Republicans, Governor Walz also criticized aspects of the Democratic Party. Speaking on the topic of healthcare, he said “We’re going to have to have a conversation that Democrats, quite honestly, have skirted around. That America’s healthcare system is still incredibly broken in a way that doesn’t serve people.” Governor Walz called on his party to support universal healthcare.