Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz told a church service near Saginaw on Sunday that a potential administration with Vice President Kamala Harris would focus on breaking down systemic barriers.
The Democratic vice presidential candidate attended a Sunday morning service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista Township, where he introduced himself as a “Minnesota Lutheran” and a former “Nebraska Catholic.”
“I have often said that the people do not need to hear a sermon from their elected officials, but they should expect us to try to live one,” Walz told parishioners.
While Walz said he recognizes the separation of church and state, he added, “You can’t separate what you’ve learned from how you see people, how you care and how you worship and how you live your life.”
“It’s very difficult,” Walz said. “It should be difficult. If you are able to put aside what you learn in this area and start ruling and forget all about it, I guarantee you won’t be very good at it.
Walz said his faith teaches him to care for the poor, not “rig the system for the rich”; to care for the sick, and not make it harder to get care; to respect the elderly, and not “undermine programs that make life easier for older people”; and to welcome the stranger, not “demonize him and make him feel unwelcome or unsafe.”
“A lot of these are golden rules: do it to others – you know them,” Walz said.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his daughter, Hope Walz, board a plane at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz greets Michigan State Police troopers at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz greets Michigan State Police troopers at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz approaches his plane at MBS International Airport in Freeland, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attends a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Michigan Senator Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) attends a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries on October 20, 2024 in Buena Vista, Michigan. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attends a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attends a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz attends a church service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista, Michigan on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with union members during a campaign stop in Saginaw, Michigan, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with union members during a campaign stop in Saginaw, Michigan, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks with union members during a campaign stop in Saginaw, Michigan, on Oct. 20, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Walz said his faith also taught him that “the Bible should be read and followed and absorbed, not branded and sold for $59,” an apparent jab at Bibles sold by former President Donald Trump’s campaign.
The Democratic governor said that “we are truly blessed” by “the bounty of this country,” but argued that “systemic barriers” currently make it harder for Black people to find opportunities than their white counterparts.
“Black men are not broken,” Walz said. “Black men are flourishing across the country. If we make the system fair, we will see that.”
Before the service, Walz spoke briefly at a United Association Local 85 Plumbers, Steamfitters, HVACR Technicians who were investigating the launch in Saginaw.
He told the crowd he was called “the poorest person to ever run for vice president” after he made his financial disclosures public.
“Look, I’m middle class; I am very proud of it,” said Walz.
Walz addressed that middle-class upbringing during the church service, saying, “Leadership is not about how small and how many names you can give to someone. It’s about who lifts you up enough to give you a chance.”
“So often people say to us, ‘Oh, pull yourself up by your bootstraps.’ We had no boots. Once we get the boots, we’ll be happy with them,” Walz said. “And a lot of these things, the system is set up so that some people don’t get boots.”
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