An Endorsement From Madison That Ages Like Milk

In Wisconsin, if a snowplow never leaves the city garage, it still looks pristine when spring FINALLY comes. The truck's paint shines, the lights still work, and officials smile for photos. If one were to drive the truck out of the garage after the thaw, then the story changes: ruts harden, ice scars linger, and roads show exactly where the plows never went.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers offered praise for his counterpart in Minnesota, Tim Walz, after Walz quit his bid for a third term as governor of Minnesota. What Evers called integrity and friendship might register differently in communities that never watched Walz's "commitment" first-hand.

An Appreciation That Missed the Road

Tim Walz announced that he wouldn't seek a third term as Minnesota governor, while emphasizing he wanted to focus on the state amid controversy surrounding the myriad of fraud issues.

For a fantastic overview, please check out my teammate Matt Margolis's work covering the fall of Walz.

Walz held host to a typical Democratic news conference where all blame falls on President Donald Trump.

Walz backs up the plumbing? Trump's fault. Standard operating procedure for any liberal trying to avoid responsibility.

After spending 2025 traveling around the country for his supposed 2028 presidential bid, as well as setting up his reelection campaign, Walz described the year as difficult and said he now wanted to focus his attention on enforcement rather than campaigning.

Evers responded to Walz's situation warmly, calling Walz a good friend.

Evers called Walz "a good friend and a good neighbor" and said he's grateful they've served as governors together.
"I've always appreciated our friendship, Tim's wit and candor, and how relentless he is about working to improve the everyday lives of Minnesotans and people across our country," Evers said.

If Walz was bread, Evers' praise was butter, and it was laying it on thick. Evers continued to say how he appreciates Waltz's wit, candor, and (hold on, I need to take a deep breath) relentlessness in serving people across both states.

Evers praised Walz's commitment to public service and the friendship they have shared.
"Tim has always been a good friend and a good neighbor to us across the river, and I’m incredibly grateful we’ve had the opportunity to serve as governors of our states together," Evers said in a statement on Monday.
Evers highlighted Walz's dedication to his family and public service.
"Most of all, Tim is a devoted husband and father, and he is a dedicated public servant who’s spent his career putting others before himself," Evers said.

As pleasant as that sounded in print, it also sounded so far removed from manufacturing business and factories that have closed, stagnated wages, and climbing energy costs across northern Wisconsin (read: not Milwaukee or Madison) under Evers' watch.

Praise While Manufacturing Shrunk

In a previous column (paywall, sorry), I called Evers an idiot governor. Well, an unnamed village called me to say their idiot was offended by the comparison. So, I apologize to the village idiot who expressed more integrity than, well, I need to come up with a new name, right? Sigh. I'm working on it, hopefully by the end of this column.

But, keeping it family-friendly, if you have ideas, please share them in the comments!

For those of us living north of Madison, Evers' praise feels like irony wrapped in a ribbon. Many manufacturing communities have struggled under his tenure. Lumber and paper mills either downsized or shut their doors, electrical and machine shops saw orders dry up, while energy and regulatory costs ate into margins that already had been running thin. Workforce participation stalled while recruiting incentives favored urban centers.

People in Wausau, Rice Lake, and Superior don't lack grit; they lack leadership that should show up with practical solutions, not press releases.

Evers' speeches about transitions don't restart presses or keep furnaces from cooling.

A Friendship Worth Questioning

Evers called Walz's wit and candor virtues. In this case, any wit and candor virtues are like applauding good manners at a foreclosure.

Walz oversaw policies that prioritized regulatory growth and labor mandates, which Evers supported, while northern Wisconsin felt that combination as friction instead of progress.

It's amazing to me that Evers ignores the chance that $9 billion in corruption was funneled to the Democrat party and to groups outside the United States. Walz has overlooked the programs he was supposed to support, monies intended for autistic kids, roads, bridges, and other social programs.

When one governor praises another for qualities that correlate with policies that drained local industries, the praise reads less like respect and more like reinforcement of priorities that didn't serve everybody equally.

Only if you were Somalian or had that pesky letter assigned to your title: (D).

Distance From the Work Floor

George Carlin warned about systems run by people who never touch the tools that keep the lights on.

Governors who never smell coolant, welded metal, or metal dust lose an essential layer of context.

That's a gap that Evers seldom, if ever, bridged. Comically enough, Waltz never tried to!

Mutual admiration feels easy when shared blind spots dominate agendas. Clapping at a banquet all sounds great, that is, until you leave and hear the hum of wind blowing through empty factories.

Timing That Tells More

As Matt Margolis and other PJ Media teammates have reported, Waltz's decision came as controversies swirled and critics hammered accountability gaps in his state's social services programs. Political pressure from Democratic leadership, both in Minnesota and D.C., mounted, leading to his decision to bow out of the gubernatorial race, only months after launching it.

Keep in mind: if the 2024 presidential election had gone the other way, this guy would be a heartbeat away from POTUS.

As Evers' note of appreciation arrived shortly after his announcement, it offered gratitude for friendship and character rather than accountability for negative outcomes.

It's a contrast that us northern Wisconsin folks clearly see. We know what polished praise looks like: "This is sh*t; that's shinola."

We also know what years of unmet needs feel like.

When a snowplow avoids the rough roads, it still looks impressive in the garage.

Final Thoughts

Winter exposes preparation without mercy—that fraction of a second as you sit on a bloody cold toilet seat (I hate winter!). A shiny truck parked inside a heated garage tells a story. Cracked, snow-covered, and icy roads tell a different one.

Tony "Elite Level Oops" Evers chose warm words for Tim Walz while towns across the northern part of the state remember which leaders showed up in the harsh miles. (How was that new name?)

I've never faked a sarcasm; yet it arrived here not by whim, but by experience that left frozen roads unplowed and promises unkept.

Independent commentary thrives only when someone is willing to say publicly what polite circles avoid. PJ Media backs voices ready to critique consequences that matter. Become a PJ Media VIP member and help keep unfiltered analysis alive.