In an interview with “Good Morning America” anchor Michael Strahan on Thursday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz echoed the Harris-Walz campaign’s position on the Electoral College, which stated its position after Walz advocated for eliminating the system earlier this week. .
“I’ve spoken in the past, (Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris) has been very clear about this and the campaign. And my position is the campaign’s position,” Walz said.
At a fundraiser Tuesday at California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s private residence in Sacramento, Walz said the Electoral College system “must go” “in favor of the national popular vote.”
Watch: ABC News’ Michael Strahan’s televised interview with Gov. Tim Walz airs on “Good Morning America” on Friday, October 11.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks with ABC News’ Michael Strahan for an interview that will air on “Good Morning America” on Friday, October 11.
David Sherman/ABC
“But that’s not the world we live in. So we have to beat Beaver County, Pennsylvania. We have to be able to beat York, Pennsylvania. We have to stay in western Wisconsin and win. We have to be in Reno, Nevada and win,” Walz said at the time.
But after ABC News asked if Harris shared Walz’s position, a Harris campaign official responded, “Getting rid of the Electoral College is not a campaign position.”
Discussing his disagreement with Strahan, Walz noted that despite campaigning in several states in recent months, “there are people who believe that every vote should count in every state,” not just battleground states.
“The point I’m trying to make is that there are people who think every vote should count in every state. And I think some people think it doesn’t. Our campaign does that. And the point I’m making is that I’m in five states in two days.” , Walz told Strahan on Thursday.
“The campaign’s position is clearly that’s not their position,” he said. “Their position and my position is to make sure everyone understands their vote, no matter what their situation is. You’re in, you’re accountable.
The Electoral College system determines who wins the presidency based on which candidate wins a majority of the 538 electoral votes distributed between the 50 states and Washington DC, not the popular vote.
Although electoral counts are assigned based on a state’s population, there have been cases of candidates winning elections without winning the popular vote. In 2016, for example, Hillary Clinton won the popular vote but not the election.
While the Harris campaign is saying that’s not their position, Harris himself, when he ran for president in 2019, said he was “open” to discussing elimination with the Electoral College.
“I think I’m open to discussion,” Harris told Jimmy Kimmel in March 2019. “I want to say that there is no doubt that the popular vote has decreased when it comes to making the final decision. The United States and we have to face it. So I’m open to the discussion.”
