Action 4 Liberty, a conservative group in the state, runs a stand at the Minnesota State Fair opposing Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
Dana Ferguson/MPR
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Weird. It’s a descriptor Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz famously used against Republicans even before becoming Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
In this year’s presidential campaign, “weird” is inescapable. It’s been used in speeches, printed onto teeshirts and shared in memes across the internet. Both Republicans and Democrats have claimed the word.
And in Minnesota, the term can be … loaded.
So, we took to the Minnesota State Fair to talk to Minnesotans about how the word hits differently here.
Inside the Horticulture building at the fair, Ashley Greenwood and Sarah Black lined up with dozens of other fair visitors to admire a gallery of crop art. The designs are like mosaics — made with sometimes tens of thousands of seeds, beans and other plant materials.
The pair shuffles past images of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a Lego astronaut and Lake Full of Fish, stopping at a piece depicting the Republicans on the ticket, U.S. Sen. JD Vance and former President Donald Trump.
Above them is a quote: “These guys are weird,” attributed in the piece to Walz.
Walz’s supporters say the “weird” label caught on because it carries more weight in the Midwest.
Several pieces of crop art — designs comprised of seeds, beans and other plant matter — are on display at the Minnesota State Fair. Political themes, especially in 2024, are popular with crop artists.
Dana Ferguson/MPR News
Minnesota weird
“It’s very layered language,” says Black, a middle school geography teacher from Minneapolis. “I took it as like, this is his polite, Midwestern way of saying, like, ‘This is bonkers,’ right? Like, this is crazy, without coming right out and saying that.”
For Jill Carey, the word digs deep.
“When you’re growing up and you’re on a playground and a kid’s like, ‘You’re weird,’ it really makes you feel terrible inside,” Carey says.
As she peruses the crop art designs, Carey says the depiction of Vance and Trump made her think.
“I guess the Minnesota Nice in me doesn’t want anyone to feel terrible inside,” but, she says, it’s important to ask yourself, “‘is my behavior conforming to the standards of respect and dignity toward others?’” Carey says.
Megan Yoshida says the weird label stuck because it simplified what many people feel about former president Trump.
“They’re weird, they’re different, they’re, I don’t know, other to us. We’re all kind of like just regular people trying to make a living here in Minnesota,” Yoshida says. “And I think a lot of times in politics, you don’t see that.”
Jill Carey passes through the Horticulture Building at the Minnesota State Fair to see crop art designs on Friday, Aug. 23.
Dana Ferguson/MPR News
Who are you calling ‘weird’?
At a booth not far away, visitors spin a wheel with Walz’s face on it. Jesse Smith is with Action 4 Liberty, a conservative group in Minnesota. The group is hosting a “Never Walz” themed display.
Smith says his goal is to point out to people here that Walz — not Trump or Vance — is the weird one.
“I think it’s ironic. I think he’s throwing stones in a glass house,” Smith says. “I think that he’s the one who is trying to put tampons in the boys’ room. If anyone’s weird, it’s him.”
Smith is referring to a law Walz signed that provides funding for period products in public school restrooms.
Nearby, Jim Kelley clutches his “Never Walz” fan. The construction worker who leans conservative says the “weird” label could be off-putting for many Americans like him.
“You’re calling half of the representatives or half of the people of the country weird or deplorable or different. That’s a pretty big percentage either way,” Kelley says. “We are the United States of America, and we’re not the divided States of America.”
Behind him, folks just keep spinning the wheel and hoping they might win a shirt or fan.
