COOK— Minnesota’s First District Congressman Tim Walz, fresh off the plane from Washington, D.C., traveled north to Cook Tuesday, hoping to garner support for his bid for governor.

He spoke to a packed room at the Crescent Supper Club, with state Sen. Tom Bakk, Rep. Jason Metsa, and Rep. Rob Ecklund all in attendance.

The event was organized by the Northern Progressives group, which is attempting to host all the prospective gubernatorial candidates.

“After these past few days, I couldn’t wait to get here,” said Walz. Representing a district that voted for President Trump, he argued that he is the only candidate who can bring the DFL together.

Walz wasted no time listing off his credentials as a six-term congressman, a ranking member on the Agriculture Committee and the Veterans Affairs Committee, a 24-year veteran of the Army and National Guard, in addition to being a teacher. He spoke of his running mate Rep. Peggy Flanagan and her credentials as the former executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund for Minnesota, her work with Wellstone Action, as well as the first director and founder of the Native American Leadership program. Flanagan is also a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe. He asserted that their range of leadership, values, and credentials makes them the team most qualified to represent Minnesotans. “Together we can bring people together and reflect the values we all care about.”

Walz wasted little time in addressing a controversial topic in the DFL. “I know that the mining issue is deeply dividing up here, but we can’t let it destroy us, and I’m going to address it head on,” he said. “I recognize the Boundary Waters as a unique area.” He continued, “If science is the solution, we should not close those doors. We have to follow the science but we must be open and transparent. We have to assume our common goals and then work backwards bringing all people to the table.”

Walz said it’s important to move toward a low carbon, sustainable economy, and said mining has to be a part of that.” At the same time, he took issue with Trump Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, calling him “dangerous,” and said it’s important to think long-term on issues related to mining. “But this issue is ripping us apart and we need to keep communication open about this.”

Walz also addressed the Enbridge pipeline. Again, he looped through the need to move toward a low carbon-based economy, reiterating the need to have safeguards and parameters in place. “We need to look beyond this administration and beyond this generation.”

Addressing healthcare, he said, “I have farmers in my district that say health insurance is burying them, yet they voted for Trump…go figure!” He noted that 3.1 million people have left the insurance market since Trump’s electioin. “As a state we can expand the public option and buy-in. We need to invest in preventive care as well. With the state and the U of M, we can invest in studies for cures, for chronic issues and diseases. We need to still figure out how to bring those provider networks into rural Minnesota.”

Walz also talked about the lack of transparency in health care pricing and the increasing consolidation of services. He also addressed end-of-life care, “It’s something nobody wants to talk about, but we need to. We spend more money in the last six months of life on health care than at any other time. It’s astounding. We need to talk about end of life care.”

When asked why he was leaving Congress, risking his district to a Republican replacement, he said was prompted because of gerrymandering. He said he thinks the districts in Minnesota are up for a shuffle and the state could lose a congressional district in 2020 with redistricting. Besides, he said, the real political action is increasingly happening in the states. “All the major decisions will be made at the state level, and we don’t need another Scott Walker. We also need to be smarter about how we message, how we push renewable energy, education, healthcare…We need to be clear and steely eyed about what we need to protect, and what we value. It’s not about compromising our values, it’s about making the case for our values and for investments that improve peoples’ lives. I will not normalize this administration, and I refuse to let them dictate how we see our state, and Peggy and I are who Minnesota looks like. We reflect the values that we all care about.”