Erika Sanzi is director of outreach for Parents Defending Education, a grassroots conservative movement that advocates bringing back a healthy, non-political education for children. During an interview with AFN, she said Walz (pictured above) is bad news for education. She bases her opinion on his record.
"Certainly, once he became governor, he really tacked pretty far to the left," said Sanzi, a former educator and school board member. "So, when we think about Tim Walz [and public education], what do we think of? We think of sort of an ideological takeover – like a real fixation … on race, a commitment to courses … about resistance and [that are] anti-Western, I would say, in their framing."
Sanzi pointed to the COVID lockdowns when the governor locked down schools much longer than most places.
"And again, it's largely because the teachers' unions love him," she argued. "And part of the reason that he has earned that love is because he does things like [keeping] schools closed for extended periods of time…. The metrics that he forced schools … to meet in order to open were just impossible."
She acknowledged that, to be fair, declines in student achievement and attendance as a result shutdowns were common. "[But] again, on balance, nothing good has happened in the schools with him," she added. "We've seen an ideological takeover in schools in Minnesota that we haven't necessarily seen in lots of other places."
Sanzi also argued it's clear where Walz stands on school choice.
"The teachers' unions only support residential assignment," she described. "And Tim Walz – again, [he's] very, very close with the unions – really is opposed to all forms of school choice. He does not want low-income families to have options."
Walz 'a criminal' for destroying mom-and-pop businesses
Meanwhile, a former small-business owner in Minnesota also is criticizing Walz for his COVID policies.
Lisa Hanson spent 60 days in jail for opening her bistro near the end of 2020 when Gov. Walz announced another shutdown. Hanson told Fox News she had no choice given that her business and many others were struggling financially after being told earlier that year they could not be open.
"I told my husband We can't do this … We can't survive another shutdown. So, I had two choices," said Hanson, a mother and grandmother. "I was either going to close my business permanently because we could not afford to stay in business any longer; or I was going to open up fully and see if we could survive this."
Hanson contends the governor didn't have authority to decide what was "essential" and "non-essential," but she couldn't find a judge to agree with her.
"Our Constitution protects our God-given rights," said Hanson. "When I faced these tyrannical leaders, if you will, there were no rights. I was stripped of all due process. I was even striped of my defense in a court of law – an American court of law!"
For his part, Walz said in March 2020: "Slowing the community spread of COVID-19 is critical to ensuring that our healthcare facilities remain able to accommodate those who require intensive medical intervention."
Hanson, unsurprisingly, does not agree.
"His policies destroyed the American people's rights – the Minnesotans' rights, to be specific," said Hanson. "He destroyed so many businesses in the state of Minnesota, never to open again. He destroyed so many lives in Minnesota literally. The man is a criminal. He should be impeached, and he should be prosecuted."
