Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz popularized the term to brand his Republican opponents in the presidential race. To Minnesotans, though, it hits different.
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.
