MOUNTAIN LAKE, Minn., - Rural Minnesotans say Gov. Tim Walz is "against small businesses," warning what a vice presidency under his leadership would look like after their experience in the state.
Several Minnesota business owners in Mountain Lake, Minn., who all recalled it being a "nightmare" working under Walz's leadership, spoke with Fox News Digital about their experience.
"Our business has totally been affected by Walz. Since Walz has been in, it's kind of been a nightmare," Cheryl, who runs a local business, told Fox News Digital. "It just appears that he's really against small businesses."
Cheryl referenced the earned sick and safe time law passed by Walz in 2023 that allows employees to earn a maximum of 48 hours each year of paid time off for a variety of reasons, saying it has "made it really challenging to have a business here" and is "also very costly."
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Betty, who owns a local restaurant, mirrored the frustration about the newly enacted paid time off law.
"I appreciate my employees and I love my employees. And so I don't want to take it away from them. But what I'm saying is it's my right, it's my small business, and I should be able to come up with my plan and reward them instead for when they're showing up for work and when they're working," she told Fox. "And so I just feel like he's created a policy for my business when it's not workable for me."
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Tim, an organic farmer who said he previously voted for Walz, will no longer be backing him, citing the governor's change of tune on policy over the years.
"I wouldn't mind sitting down and having a beer with Tim Walz, but I wouldn't ever vote for him today," he told Fox. "I just think he's changed a lot. And I don't like the direction that it's going on a lot of policies. I'm not saying he's a bad person. He's probably a good person. But it doesn't mean I agree with his policies."
A residential building contractor, Joe, recalled watching those around him being negatively impacted by the state's COVID-era policies.
"The biggest thing was the shutdowns. The construction trade was seen as an essential business, so I guess I wasn't shut down, but because it really affected my work, because people I know weren't able to afford to hire me to do stuff."
Asked about what they think a Harris-Walz presidency would look like given their experience running a business under the Democratic governor's leadership, the residents all suggested that it would "be really bad for the U.S."
"How can we have somebody who is going to lie about literally anything, whether it's his military service or how he handles the riots, closing down small businesses and allowing big box stores to stay open," Joe said. "How can you have that in the White House?"
"His policies are going to be the same. So if you take those policies and apply them," Cheryl told Fox. "As a nation it would not be good. You just can't look at where we stand as a state, and it's like wow, how can you bring something down that fast."
