As the Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight in Chicago, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, is facing questions about his past engagement with an antisemitic imam and his ties to some anti-Israel activists who have raised hopes that he will be open to compromise on their demands regarding the war in Gaza.

During his nearly six years as governor, Walz has built strong relationships with Jewish leaders in Minnesota, who have voiced appreciation for his pro-Israel record amid particularly rancorous divisions over Middle East policy within the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and elsewhere.

But Walz’s diplomatically worded comments pursuing outreach toward the “uncommitted” anti-Israel left — and continued lack of clarity on his connections to a Muslim cleric who has shared antisemitic propaganda and praised Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks — have attracted scrutiny in recent weeks.

His cautious approach to such issues underscores how his genial Midwestern sensibility can result in some uncomfortable situations for the governor viewed as a symbol of “Minnesota Nice,” especially as Democratic infighting over Israel is expected to take center stage at the convention this week.

“He is not really interested in being a kind of umpire or referee about how people debate the conflict,” Doug Rossinow, a professor of history at Metro State University in St. Paul, said in a recent interview with Jewish Insider. “He prefers to try to keep all parts of his coalition basically satisfied and he hasn’t been pressed hard by any faction to take a position that would alienate anyone.”

Joe Radinovich, a Democratic strategist in Minneapolis, said that Walz has navigated an “increasing gulf” between “the mainstream of the Democratic Party and the progressive left” over Israel. The governor, he suggested, has sought to “mitigate” tensions rather than “exacerbate” them. 

In contrast with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who faced resistance from anti-Israel activists over his criticism of campus protesters as he emerged as a finalist on the vice-presidential shortlist, Walz has been seen by some on the left as “a movable target,” as one “uncommitted” leader from Minnesota has put it. 

Minnesota claims the largest share of “uncommitted” delegates who opposed President Joe Biden over his support for Israel. Before he joined the Harris campaign last month, Walz described the “uncommitted” activists as “civically engaged” in the primary. “These are voters that are deeply concerned as we all are,” he said in a March interview on CNN. “The situation in Gaza is intolerable.”

His rhetoric has been encouraging to some leading organizers involved in the “uncommitted” movement. Jeremiah Ellison, a Minneapolis councilman who is one of 11 “uncommitted” Minnesota delegates, said he has known Walz since the governor served in the House with his father, Keith Ellison, the state attorney general and a critic of Israel. 

Walz’s support for Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza “has very much matched the mainstream position of the Democratic Party,” the younger Ellison acknowledged in an interview with JI last week, stressing that “at face value” he did not “begrudge” Walz for his approach. “But I also know him as somebody who’s incredibly open to conversation,” he added, “and isn’t going to just dismiss or shut down conversation.”

Ellison expressed hope that Walz will “engage in good faith,” despite major disagreements on such demands as an arms embargo on Israel, which the Harris campaign has said it will not accept. “If we thought there was no hope of a conversation, then we wouldn’t have become delegates,” he explained.

The Harris campaign has not indicated how it will handle other demands from “uncommitted” activists at the convention, including a prominent speaking slot for a pediatrician who has volunteered in Gaza.

As governor, Walz has faced similarly disruptive conflicts over Israel within the state Democratic Party. Its June convention, for instance, featured hundreds of anti-Israel protesters amid a debate over platform resolutions on Middle East issues. But Walz himself has “managed to avoid getting drawn into” ongoing party disputes, according to Rossinow, the history professor, who has written about such divisions.

“Walz has been careful about the issue in a way that is quite typical of liberal Democrats in Minnesota,” Rossinow told JI. “He has not really tipped his hand about any strong specific views about how to resolve the larger Gaza war.”

Largely in response to Democratic infighting over Israel, Jewish leaders in Minnesota are currently strategizing to begin the process of launching a new Jewish caucus formally affiliated with the DFL, said Manny Houle, a pro-Israel activist and former party operative in Minneapolis who is consulting on some events at the convention this week.

Walz is aware of the caucus, Houle said, calling it a part of the governor’s effort to ensure that the state party remains welcoming to Jewish Democrats after he steps down. “He leads outreach and he’s going to ensure that that legacy stands forward,” Houle told JI.

The governor’s broader outreach to faith leaders in Minnesota, however, has recently faced scrutiny due to his past appearances with a controversial Muslim cleric who has defended Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks and promoted a film that glorified Adolf Hitler, among other incendiary statements. 

Walz has not personally commented on his ties to the imam, Asad Zaman, the executive director of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. The Harris campaign has claimed that Walz does not “have a personal relationship with” Zaman, whom he has praised as “a master teacher,” according to video of his remarks unearthed last week. The governor has appeared with Zaman at several events in recent years, including three previously unreported Zoom meetings.

A spokesperson for the Harris campaign has said that Walz “strongly condemns Hamas terrorism” as well as “antisemitism and hate in all its forms,” but has not directly addressed the substance of Zaman’s social media posts.

The lack of clarity has not gone unnoticed by some Jewish leaders eager to see Walz himself condemn Zaman, who has refused to apologize for spreading antisemitic propaganda and celebrating Hamas. He instead shared a statement to social media last week accusing what he called the “right wing blog swamp” of “trying to smear” the governor and “scapegoating a local Muslim.” Zaman also told CNN that he and Walz do not have a “personal relationship.”

Steve Hunegs, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, called the governor a strong supporter of Israel and a long-standing Jewish community ally, citing remarks at the group’s annual event this past June in which Walz forcefully defended the Jewish right to self-determination.

But Hunegs indicated that he would still prefer if the governor explicitly denounced Zaman on his own. “Any more clarity he could provide is helpful,” Hunegs said in an interview with JI. “Any governor meeting with his constituents from a diverse” range of roles “is the work of the governor,” he added, “as is a certain amount of due diligence.”

The Anti-Defamation League, which urged public officials who have met with Zaman to “clarify that they don’t agree with his toxic views about Jews and the Jewish state,” also suggested that Walz should comment himself. “We would urge the governor to go on record directly,” a spokesperson for the group said in a statement to JI last week.

Despite such pressure, the governor seems unlikely to weigh in himself as he prepares for a high-profile convention speech on Wednesday. The Harris campaign has declined requests from JI to comment further on the imam’s views.

Deb Calvert, a Jewish Democrat who serves on the Minnetonka City Council in suburban Minneapolis and has known Walz for years, said that she too has previously appeared with Zaman at public interfaith events. 

“He’s a very sophisticated person who had a very mild-mannered public persona for a long time, and people do change,” she told JI last week, noting that Zaman has increasingly embraced what she called “vile antisemitic tropes” in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. “I think political leaders should distance themselves, at the very least, from people who make hateful statements.”