Estimated read time: 9-10 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — When Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hit the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris in August, the two made a campaign stop in Glendale, Arizona.
The Arizona stop was just three days after Harris picked Walz as her Democratic Party running mate, and America was beginning to see the kind of pitch Walz would be making to voters.
Walz spoke about a golden rule he said people learn in Minnesota, Arizona and other places: "Mind your own damn business."
"I don't need you telling me what books to read," said Walz. "I don't need you telling me about what religion we worship. And I sure the heck don't need you to tell me about my family."
The reference to faith was fleeting but in keeping with Walz's past behavior. Aside from a handful of references to him being what he calls a "Minnesota Lutheran," Walz does not say much about faith in media appearances.
Walz has said on social media he attends Pilgrim Lutheran Church, which is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The denomination Walz belongs to as well as the church he said he attends are more theologically liberal compared to other mainline Lutheran denominations.
Speaking about the role of religion in the public square is not something Walz has done much of, but throughout his political career, he has made decisions that may indicate what he thinks.
Walz faced criticism from churches during the COVID-19 pandemic when he allowed businesses to reopen to 50% capacity, but at places of worship people could only gather in groups of 10. But he has also connected with faith groups. Religion News Service reported Walz has attended iftar dinners and Eid al-Fitr celebrations to connect with the Minnesota Muslim and Islamic communities.
Walz and churches during COVID-19
An executive order Walz issued on May 13, 2020, put him at odds with some people of faith, including more conservative Lutherans.
A couple of months into the pandemic, Walz signed an executive order allowing malls, retail stores and main street businesses to open if they had social distancing protocols and kept occupancy to no more than 50%.
The Mall of America was allowed to open back up on June 1. But gatherings of friends and family — including church services — were limited to no more than 10 people.
Minnesota churches that are part of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod told Walz in a letter they were disappointed that retail stores, bars and restaurants had a more robust plan for reopening. "In the absence of a time line or any other assurances that churches will soon be able to reopen, we find that we must move forward with our religious exercise in a safe manner," said the letter.
The Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and Catholic Bishops of Minnesota each also issued letters saying they would be reopening their churches.
The letter from the Catholic Bishops of Minnesota expressed disappointment not only on the restrictions of religious gatherings but remarks Walz made.
"The governor's remarks today further underscored a failure to appreciate the role of our church and other faith groups in serving the community," said the letter.
The Catholic Bishops of Minnesota said they have worked with the Walz administration and felt like public health officials listened to their concerns. But they also did not receive a concrete time line for reopening churches.
"We cannot allow an indefinite suspension of the public celebration of the Mass," they said.
At the time, Walz's office responded to some of the criticism it had received. "As the governor has said, this is a challenging situation for him personally and a challenging situation for him as a public official charged with protecting the health and safety of Minnesotans," said a statement from Walz's office, per Reason. "He remains in routine communication with faith leader(s) across the state and understands the toll this pandemic is taking on the spiritual health of Minnesotans."
After the announcement came that several churches in the state were planning on resuming worship services despite the executive order, Walz came back to the negotiating table with the churches, according to a press release from Becket. The law firm had sent a letter to Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on behalf of the Minnesota Catholic Conference and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod saying the treatment of churches violated federal and state law.
"Gov. Walz returned to the negotiating table after the churches acted in defense of their free exercise, announcing on May 23 that he would clear the way for houses of worship of all faith traditions to open to larger groups starting May 27, 2020," said the release.
Walz then allowed places of worship to open at 25% occupancy, according to a release from his office. He said since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention allowed places of worship to reopen, he worked with faith leaders on reopening with public health guidelines.
"Each step we take brings risk and responsibility for all," said Walz. "My family will continue to practice our faith via video at home."
Loe v. Jett
A group of Christian parents, Crown College and University of Northwestern-St. Paul filed a lawsuit in 2023 naming Walz, Willie Jett (Minnesota commissioner of education) and the Minnesota Department of Education. Walz was later dismissed from the suit.
Becket Fund for Religious Liberty filed the suit on behalf of the parents and schools.
The suit concerned the Postsecondary Enrollment Options program, which gives high school students free access to college credits at public and private universities and colleges in Minnesota.
"Schools can apply almost any admissions criteria and still accept (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) students," said the suit. "But under the new law, if they have a 'faith statement' for students or select students based on 'religion,' they are barred from the (Postsecondary Enrollment Options) program."
The text of the law, which Walz signed, reads, "An eligible institution must not require a faith statement from a secondary student seeking to enroll in a postsecondary course under this section during the application process or base any part of the admission decision on a student's race, creed, ethnicity, disability, gender, or sexual orientation or religious beliefs or affiliations."
The suit argues excluding the two schools from the program is unconstitutional. "In the last six years, the Supreme Court has three times held that once a state opens funding to private institutions, the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause forbids excluding participants based on their religion or their religious use of the funds."
Diana Thomson, senior counsel at Becket, said in a release, "Minnesota politicians just slammed the door on thousands of kids in their state who want to get a head start on college, all because the schools they want to attend share their religious beliefs."
"That decision is not only patently anti-religious; it is also against the law," said Thomson. "We are confident this ban will not stand for long."
U.S. District Judge Nancy E. Brasel issued a preliminary injunction blocking Minnesota from enforcing the law.
The defendants Walz, Jett and the Minnesota Department of Education denied every allegation made by the plaintiffs in a court document filed on June 16, 2023. Parties entered into an agreement around a month later to dismiss Walz from the lawsuit.
Minnesota Human Rights Act
Several faith organizations, including the Minnesota Catholic Conference of Bishops, the Islamic Center of Minnesota and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, began advocating for the addition of a religious exemption in the Missouri Human Rights Act in 2024, during the Walz administration.
"This exemption, which pertains to employment, membership, admissions, and governance practices within religious congregations and schools, has been in place since 1993," said a release from the Minnesota Catholic Conference. "But the exemption was inexplicably removed last year, leaving religious organizations and schools vulnerable to civil rights complaints and legal penalties simply for upholding their values regarding matters of faith, reason and sexual identity."
Republican state Rep. Harry Niska explained during the Minnesota legislative session that the Minnesota Human Rights Act historically has maintained religious exemptions for groups.
Niska said in 2023, the Minnesota Legislature added a definition of gender identity into the text of the law, but there was no corresponding text for a religious exemption. During the 2024 session, Walz signed a bill into law that included a religious exemption. According to the Minnesota Reformer, the vote on the bill was unanimous.
Walz and local religious communities
Walz has spent time with local Muslim communities during their worship services.
"Eid Mubarak, Minnesota! I was grateful to join the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community for an Eid-al-Fitr celebration this morning," wrote Walz in a social media post. "Gwen and I are wishing all who observe a peaceful, blessed end to Ramadan."
The Minnesota governor also spoke at an event in 2019 hosted at Metropolitan State University in collaboration with CAIR-Minnesota, a group seeking to end bias against Muslims.
Walz has also spent time with local Jewish communities. After the Tree of Life synagogue mass shooting in Pennsylvania, Walz issued a proclamation on combatting antisemitism.
"We are committed to confronting hate and bias crimes, and recognize that antisemitism represents a unique and millennia-old enduring hatred of Jewish people," said the proclamation.
Two days after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Walz went to a Jewish community gathering and condemned the terror attack, per the Forward. "If you did not find moral clarity on Saturday morning," Walz said, "and you find yourself waiting to think about what you needed to say, you need to reevaluate where you're at."
Walz has called for a cease-fire and told Minnesota Public Radio, "You can hold competing things: that Israel has the right to defend itself, and the atrocities of Oct. 7 are unacceptable, but Palestinian civilians being caught in this ... has got to end."
