Tim Walz’s former students campaign for him door-to-door in York County

Three former Mankato West High School students went knocking on doors in York County on Saturday for their favorite teacher, Tim Walz. 

It’s not often you see former students campaigning for one of their favorite high school teachers, but in York County on Saturday, three of Tim Walz’s former students understood the assignment.  

Andrea Johnson, Jenny Diaz and Steven “Ross” Pomeroy, who were all born and raised in Mankato, Minnesota, traveled to Pennsylvania’s York County on Saturday to knock on doors for the presidential ticket. They all agreed that the Walz you see on TV was the same person they had in the classroom. 

“This is that guy. He’s still that guy,” Diaz told reporters. 

“This is the teacher we had, and it’s just so exciting to share him with the country because I know people wonder, is that really what he’s like? Yes, yes. It is really what he’s like.”

Walz’s down-to-earth demeanor that’s helped make him a popular figure on the campaign trail is all natural, the former students said.

“He’s changing spark plugs, he’s cleaning his gutters, he’s doing all those Midwestern things and he’s doing it with passion, with joy, with excitement. I love seeing that. I loved having him as a teacher. I’m better for it and I’m excited for everyone else to get to meet him that way as well,” Diaz went on to say. 

The three former students are part of a network of over 200 Mankato West High School alumni from across the country who are volunteering for the Harris-Walz campaign. 

Diaz and Pomeroy, who graduated two years apart from each other, explained that the network of Walz’s former students use social media to keep in touch with each other and are traveling to swing states to meet with voters, while others are making phone calls or writing postcards for the campaign. 

“Walz is a very energetic guy,” Pomeroy explained when talking about what it was like having Walz as a teacher. 

“He was very excited about helping his students, meeting with his students, and it’s the same care that I think we noticed when he was in Congress and when he was governor. He treats his constituents and people he serves the same [way] as he teaches our students.”

Walz held a rally in York this past week that attracted over 2,300 Harris supporters in the deep red part of Pennsylvania that Donald Trump carried by more than 20 points in 2016 and 2020, but according to the students, the area reminds them of Mankato. 

“It’s really exciting to talk with folks on the doors here in York because it’s similar to Mankato, and I think we’re able to just really tell them how Mr. Walz is this genuine good person that you see on TV now,” Johnson, who has been traveling to York County on the weekends for the past month, said during an interview. 

“He’s always been like that, and he cares about you. He cares about the working class and middle class people, which is a stark contrast to Donald Trump and the Republicans who are really focused on tax cuts for billionaires.”