Gov. Tim Walz (DFL – MN) made his first and only appearance at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday.

Gov. Walz was joined by his wife, Gwen, and daughter, Hope for a very different — and much more abridged stop than he’s made in years past. The governor was in and out in under 40 minutes and was confined to the Dairy Building nearly the entire time.

Ahead of his 10 a.m. arrival, people piled up near the Dairy Building in anticipation as heavy security watched over the curious crowd. A single “Never Walz” sign was held high above the masses.

As the 10:00 hour neared, fairgoers were allowed into the building through federal security gates.

Meanwhile, outside, Walz arrived in a motorcade. 

“Hey, everybody,” Walz said, waving to a cheering crowd, as he walked toward the Peterson’s booth for a pork chop pit stop before heading into the Dairy Building.

The governor appeared next behind the ice cream counter, where he served the crowd some sweet treats, before selecting a vanilla shake for himself.

“Just to be clear, there’s a lot of great state fairs in the country, this is the best one,” Walz said, briefly addressing a gaggle of local and national journalists.

“I don’t get twelve days like I normally get…But it’s exciting, and seeing that we’re getting to talk about Minnesota from across the country, talk about the economy here, talk about things like the State Fair and talk about agriculture, that’s been really exciting.”

Walz was quickly whisked away to continue making the rounds throughout the building, pausing for many handshakes, hugs and selfies along the way.

Sunday won’t be the Governor’s only Minnesota stop. He also plans to speak with labor union leaders Monday morning in St. Paul before making his way to Milwaukee for Laborfest 2024.

Meanwhile, former president Donald Trump and running mate J.D. Vance are taking the holiday weekend off from the campaign trail. Their next stops are Tuesday in Arizona and Georgia.