The Right Track: I grew up in Minnesota. Don’t let Walz fool you.

I live in Texas, and I love it, but I spent my childhood in Minnesota, land of lefse, long winters and leftist politicians.
My family was so steeped in news and politics, I didn’t realize the fact that we were Republicans was an outlier until much later.
When I was an adolescent, my dad wanted me to understand civics, so he took me to a city council meeting when Jesse “The Body” Ventura was our town mayor. Wearing a durag and talking about city ordinances, Ventura spotted the only kid in the room and winked at me. Crazy, right?
Years later, I went off to college, minored in political science, then moved back to my home state briefly to work for the Republican Party of Minnesota, specifically on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s reelection campaign and then Rep. Michele Bachmann’s campaign. Pawlenty was one of only two Republican governors Minnesotans have elected since 1971.
Since then, voters have consistently elected some of the most liberal men and women at the state and federal levels, including Sen. Al Franken, Rep. IIhan Omar and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
This week, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose one of those Minnesota progressives, Gov. Tim Walz, to be her running mate. Walz comes across like a regular guy you could have a beer with, but the nation shouldn’t be fooled.
Minnesotans are kind and hard-working people, but why are they so drawn to progressive policies? Why is anyone? It’s a question I’ve stewed over for decades.
One of my USA TODAY colleagues on the other side of the political aisle, Rex Huppke, wrote in a column that voters just like progressive policies.
Admittedly, liberal policies sound nice, even utopian: Free paid family leave and school lunches, legalizing recreational marijuana and abortion until birth. What a deal!  
Walz has implemented those policies in Minnesota. But the results aren’t great: Taxes are high, economic growth is slow and crime has increased since 2019. 
Nothing in life is free, not even the stuff the government promises. That is the biggest difference between the presidential tickets. Why do you think people are drawn to progressive ideas? Let me know at [email protected].