MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) – The storm of an election is swirling around Governor Tim Walz these days, but his former students seem to have his back as service industry owners question past decisions.

Previous policies

Every move he makes is under scrutiny – from his school days to his covid-19 handling.

There is a microscope on him as he moves to the national stage, so his lockout decision will be reviewed. But many of his former students also step into the frame to praise him.

The so-called “dad energy” has emanated from Walz dating back to his days as a teacher at Mankato West High School.

“He was the first person I heard coin the term, ‘Who put nickels in you?'” said Mankato West alumna and former valedictorian Sarah Manes. “I must have been talkative that day.”

However, his students remember him for much more than dad jokes.

They say he made them feel safe and helped them learn important lessons in school and in life.

“I think what I have in Tim Walz is a lot of confidence because we saw that commitment to every single person,” Mankato West alumna and former Walz student Angie Brunner said.

All but one of the former students acknowledged at a press conference Wednesday that they planned to vote for the Democrat before Vice President Kamala Harris chose Walz as her running mate.

But the election affected independent voter Dan Clement.

“A lot of the other things that I might agree with, might not agree with, get thrown out the window when it comes to Coach Walz,” Clement said. “That man did a lot for me in my life.”

The owners angry

Of course, teachers and governors have very different jobs, and Governor Walz upset many Minnesota business owners by ordering shutdowns during covid-19.

Bar and restaurant owners in particular still question his decision that protected businesses deemed necessary while theirs went under.

“When I faced these tyrannical leaders, if you will, there were no rights,” said Lisa Hanson, who defied Walz’s executive order and reopened Interchange Wine & Coffee Bistro in Albert Lea in 2020. “I was stripped of all due process. I was even stripped of my defense in a court, an American court.”

Hanson actually had her day in court, where she acted as her own attorney, and a judge sentenced her more severely than prosecutors had asked for.

She also lost an appeal.

Social media posts over the past 24 hours show a video of the National Guard in Minneapolis and posters claiming they were ordered there by Walz to ensure residents obeyed the Covid-19 lockdown order.

That is not true. The videos are from the end of May 2020 when there were riots after George Floyd’s murder.

In 2022, Walz defended his decisions, but admitted to FOX 9 that closing non-essential businesses and keeping kids out of schools were imperfect solutions to nearly impossible problems.

“There would be no good outcome from covid-19 other than protecting as many lives as possible,” he said.

And his former students say Walz hasn’t changed a bit.

His instinct to protect people shone through at Mankato West and throughout his political career.

“It’s great to see that he hasn’t let it go to his head,” said Mankato West alumnus and former election student Nate Hood. “And just one more thing. Go Scarlets!”

The group of Mankato West alumni will be fundraising and campaigning for their former teacher here in Minnesota and also in swing states.