Minnesota Gov. Walz begs voters to skip campaign rallies amid coronavirus spike: 'Google the candidate'

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Minnesota GOP fighting back against lockdowns

Minnesota House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt weighs in on the contentious battle between lockdown restrictions.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pleaded with residents on Monday not to attend crowded political rallies because of a spike in COVID-19 cases a week before the 2020 presidential election.

The state recorded more than 1,500 positive COVID-19 cases on Monday and reached a record high for Minnesota of 2,290 cases on Oct. 16 as the state increases its testing capabilities. 

"I’m asking once again -- in fact, pleading," Walz said during a press call. "Just Google the candidate you want to hear speak, and then go vote. We want people to be enthusiastic about their candidates but it’s not a good decision in areas with growing positivity rates."

The crowd cheers as Air Force One arrives with President Trump at Duluth International Airport, Sept. 30, 2020, for Trump's campaign appearance in Duluth, Minn. (AP Photo/Jack Rendulich)

He continued: "Going to a speech in a crowded areas doesn’t constitute something that’s worth the risk. I’m deeply disappointed and I guess we’ll go back and talk about what we can do. I get no pleasure in putting some of these things in place but we’re using the best knowledge we have to make sure people are staying safe."  

MINNESOTA MAIL-IN VOTING, EARLY VOTING TURNOUT SHATTERING RECORDS 

The Trump campaign has come under fire for hosting crowded rallies in the state and not abiding by guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health.

The Department said that at least 24 COVID-19 cases have been linked to President Trump's Sept. 18 rally in Bemidji, Vice President Mike Pence's Sept. 24 speech in Minneapolis, and the president's Sept. 30 rally in Duluth before he contracted the virus himself. The Department has linked at least one case to Biden's Sept. 18 rally in Duluth. 

VIOLENT SUMMER PROVES DECIDING FACTOR FOR SOME MINNESOTA VOTERS

Pence held a rally in Hibbing on Monday that drew more than 600 people despite the state health department's 250-person limit.

"While we welcome the opportunity for Minnesotans to participate in democracy, we must do so in a way that keeps our communities safe from COVID-19," Minnesota Attorney General Keith Elison said in a statement last week. "... Governor Walz previously asked both the Trump and Biden campaigns to ensure that their campaign events abide by state requirements designed to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Minnesota."

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Bemidji Regional Airport, Sept. 18, 2020, in Bemidji, Minn. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

"We’ve made our concerns known to all the political campaigns," Walz said during the call. "We’ve asked them to adhere to the guidance. Large rallies with no masks where politicians are attending are not helpful."

Trump 2020 deputy national press secretary Courtney Parella said in a statement to Fox News that "Americans have the right to gather under the First Amendment to hear from the President of the United States."

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She continued: "We take strong precautions for our campaign events, requiring every attendee to have their temperature checked, be provided a mask they’re instructed to wear, and ensuring access to plenty of hand sanitizer. We also have signs at our events instructing attendees to wear their masks.”