Minnesota Lt. Gov. Flanagan watches as her friend ascends the national stage

CHICAGO – From her small hotel suite more than 20 stories up overlooking Millennium Park, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan reflected on the experience of watching her friend of two decades run for national office.

The two famously met when Walz walked into a Wellstone Action weekend training session at a union hall saying he wanted to run for Congress. Flanagan was his instructor. In a quiet moment during the Democratic National Convention, she offered up her unique insight into Walz while walking into a bigger spotlight herself.

"My whole life the last six years has been talking about Tim Walz," she said.

For one, Walz is an extrovert who thrives on being with people. "This is what the entire campaign is all about," she said. "It's about people and connections."

A recent moment she loved had Walz tossing a bag of Doritos to Vice President Kamala Harris in a Pennsylvania convenience store. She recalled a time during one of their own campaigns when Walz jumped into the car and tossed her a cheese sandwich.

"His love language is snacks," Flanagan said, adding that he always has snacks and that it goes along with Walz's "Big Dad Energy."

On a personal level, she and the governor talk as parents, calling it "an important piece of the way we connect."

In 2018, the day after the two were elected statewide, Flanagan said she was freaked out because her daughter, Siobhan, who is now 11, had contracted lice. She called Walz, who told her to go to Target and FaceTime him so he could walk her through which treatment to buy.

He then said, "As soon as you're home, you're going to FaceTime me again," Flanagan recalled. She did as she was told, combing the medicated treatment through her daughter's hair as Walz coached her through it.

When she's had car trouble, he asked her to put the phone speaker up to the car so he can listen to the noise and diagnose the problem.

"He is a dad," Flanagan said. "When he had his buffalo plaid jacket, he was like, 'You need one, too' and he got me a buffalo plaid Pendleton so we could be matchy-matchy," she said.

Flanagan's own style showcasing Indigenous designers was on display throughout the four-day convention. On Monday night for her moment as co-chair on the giant United Center stage, she wore a borrowed geometric black-and-white suit from designer Jamie Okuma. Her large turquoise-colored ovoid earrings were her own, designed by Copper Canoe Woman.

The suit was borrowed from friend Holly Cook Macarro, a political strategist, Bemidji native and member of the Red Lake Nation. Flanagan said she, Cook Macarro and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, the first Native American cabinet secretary, frequently swap clothes from Native designers.

Flanagan showcased other Native designers in her clothing choices throughout the week. On Wednesday as Walz spoke from the convention stage, Flanagan wore a red and white jacket and 8-inch "Morningstar" earrings from the Sky-Eagle Collection. Her black-and-white striped dress Tuesday was from K. Lookinghorse.

As Walz becomes more familiar to voters, Flanagan said the nation's getting a view of his tics, including the arms extended, single leg kick he does when he's excited.

"It really is also this surreal moment of all these people cheering on the governor of our state but also just my buddy," she said, adding that they've been on a "real long" friendship journey that has included personal losses.

"The governor's really good in moments of crisis but also moments of grief," she said.

After their initial meeting at Wellstone Action, Flanagan said she and the governor kept in touch. When she was executive director of the Children's Defense Fund in Minnesota, she'd meet with his staff to talk about their annual survey.

They still talk often — virtually, because Walz has been out of state most days since he signed on with Harris. Flanagan's own life has become a whirlwind as she tries to help candidates in Minnesota and around the country while also preparing for a potential promotion to become the first female member of an Indigenous tribe to become a U.S. governor and the first woman to hold the position in Minnesota.

She relaxes by listening to New Kids on the Block, watching what she calls ridiculous television and making time to do normal things like hanging out with her husband, former Minnesota Public Radio host Tom Weber, and getting mani/pedis with Siobhan.

The family attends Mass every Sunday at Ascension Catholic Church in north Minneapolis. Flanagan famously took her priest to a Beyoncé concert. And she's ready for the State Fair, which she calls her favorite.