Walz talks about his faith and breaking down barriers at Saginaw church service

BY ANDREW ROTH, MICHIGAN ADVANCE

MICHIGAN—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 nominee for vice president attended a Sunday morning service at Victorious Believers Ministries in Buena Vista Township, introducing himself as a “Minnesota Lutheran” and a former “Nebraska Catholic.”

“I’ve often said the folks don’t need to hear a sermon from their elected officials, but they should expect us to try and live one,” Walz told parishioners.

While Walz said that he recognizes the separation of church and state, he added, “You can’t separate what you learned and how you see people and how you care and how you worship from how you live your life.”

“It’s very difficult,” Walz said. “It should be difficult. If you’re able to put aside what you learn in this space and go to govern and forget all that, I guarantee you’re not going to be very good at it.”

Walz said that his faith teaches him to care for the poor, not “rig the system for the wealthy;” to tend to the sick, not make it harder to get care; to respect the elderly, not “undermine programs that make life easier for older folks;” and to welcome the stranger, not “demonize them and make them feel unwelcome or unsafe.”

“A lot of this is golden rule stuff: Do unto others — you know the one,” Walz said.

Walz said that his faith also taught him that “the Bible is to be read and followed and absorbed, it’s not to be branded and sold for $59,” an apparent jab at Bibles being sold by the campaign of former President Donald Trump.

The Democratic governor said that “we are truly blessed” by “the abundance of this country,” but argued that “systemic barriers” currently make it more difficult for Black people to find opportunity than their white counterparts.

“Black men are not broken,” Walz said. “Black men are thriving across the country. If we make the system fair, we’re going to see that.”

Before the service, Walz briefly spoke at a United Association Local 85 Plumbers, Steamfitters, HVACR Technicians canvassing launch in Saginaw.

He told the crowd that he was called “the poorest person who’s ever run for vice president” after releasing his financial disclosures.

“Look, I’m middle class; I’m very proud of it,” Walz said.

Walz touched on that middle class upbringing during the church service, saying that “leadership’s not look at how small and how many names you can give to somebody. It’s about who you lift enough to give an opportunity.”

“So many times, people tell us, ‘Oh, pull yourself up by your bootstraps.’ We didn’t have any boots. Once we got the boots, we’re glad to do it,” Walz said. “And in a lot of these things, the system is set up not giving boots to some people.”

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This coverage was republished from Michigan Advance pursuant to a Creative Commons license.