AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
This weekend, Minnesota governor and former Democratic vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz hit the road, ripping into Trump administration policies at a series of town halls. Minnesota Public Radio's Clay Masters was at some of those stops and sends us this report.
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UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (Chanting) Welcome home. Welcome home.
CLAY MASTERS, BYLINE: Tim Walz took the stage to chants of welcome home at a community college in his home state of Nebraska.
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TIM WALZ: Good morning, Omaha, and good morning, Nebraska.
MASTERS: This event in Omaha and a similar one the day before in Des Moines are the first of several stops for Minnesota's governor through Republican-held Congressional districts. While Walz and former Vice President Kamala Harris won this district, its Republican Congressman Don Bacon was also reelected.
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WALZ: I am not here to personally attack the representative, Representative Bacon. I don't do that. They do on the other side.
MASTERS: Walz is doing these public events in places where the incumbent Republican House members have been reluctant to hold town halls. He uses the sessions to highlight what he sees as the risks of President Trump's federal agency cuts, mass layoffs and the trade tariffs' roiling relationships with long-time allies.
Brooke Torson wanted to know about the handful of Democratic senators who voted to advance a Republican bill to fund the government and avert a shutdown.
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BROOKE TORSON: Some Democrats helped pass the budget. How are we standing up to Trump/MAGA to stop things from going through?
WALZ: Yeah. Well, Brooke, thanks. And, look, that's - you're not the only one asking that question.
MASTERS: The governor talked for a bit and then asked the audience what they thought.
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WALZ: I get the overwhelming feeling that the vast majority of people wish they would have voted no. Is that true?
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Yeah.
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MASTERS: Afterwards, I asked Walz what he makes of the audience's response. He points to Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who has borne the brunt of the anger from within his party.
WALZ: That room was, I think, unanimously opposed to that. They - I think they thought - and, look, what Chuck understands and what folks understand is that a shutdown comes at a hell of a price.
MASTERS: Walz heard fear and anger from the audience in Omaha. Amanda Brinkworth was there. She sees a lot of value in just hearing people's concerns.
AMANDA BRINKWORTH: Letting those people stand up and talk about how frustrated they are is really important. Myself, I'm a scientist, and I'm worried about research funding. I'm worried about the people that work in my lab and what I've dedicated my life to doing.
MASTERS: Bridget Holly likes what she heard from Walz at a stop in Des Moines.
BRIDGET HOLLY: I'm a fourth-grade teacher, and I'm going to have a baby in five days, and I've got a toddler at home. And I'm scared about education, and I'm scared for our children and for our girls, specifically.
MASTERS: Echoing the sentiment of the crowd in Omaha, fellow Iowan Gene Merritt says Democrats need to change their approach.
GENE MERRITT: The Democrats just don't know how to fight. The Republicans play dirty, and we're, like, not. And we're losing, and we need to fight dirtier.
MASTERS: At the Des Moines stop, Walz says it's up to the crowds at these kinds of events to shape the future of the party.
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WALZ: There is not going to be a charismatic leader ride in and do this. It is going to be people coming out on a beautiful Friday afternoon, demanding change and holding people accountable.
MASTERS: He says it's important for Americans to have a space where they can voice their despair. He's doing another one of these on Tuesday in Wisconsin.
For NPR News, I'm Clay Masters in Omaha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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