From the New York Times, I'm Michael Barbarale. This is the Daily.

Today, for years, Republicans have campaigned on gun rights, while Democrats running for office have avoided the gun issue altogether.

Will this year's midterms finally be about gun control?

It's Wednesday, February 28th.

Tim Walls, a gun owner, he grew up hunting and spent 24 years in the Army National Guard.

Tim Walls is a house Democrat from Southwestern Minnesota, a pretty rural district, and he was the sort of classic archetype of a rural Democrat.

I'm Tim Walls. You know, growing up hunting taught me a lot about responsibility and respect. Lessons I hope to pass on to my kids.

Rian for Congress with pro-gun credentials.

Jonathan Martin covers national politics for the times.

Got money from the NRA and earned an A rating from the NRA. And so, when you're in that district, this is a resume that really works pretty well.

I'm proud to stand with the NRA to protect the rights of sportsmen and gun owners. That's why I approve this message.

Tim Walls, he works for us, paid for by Wells for Congress.

Now, he's running for governor.

I imagine, Jonathan, that this is the kind of candidate that Democrats are looking for right now in this moment, particularly in red states and purple states.

Yeah, Democrats who lost the presidency because they fell short in a series of states in the industrial Midwest are now looking for a political comeback, a sort of path back to relevance.

And you've got somebody with military credentials, pro-gun credentials, sounds like a pretty strong statewide candidate for Minnesota, which by the way, Hillary only narrowly carried 2016.

So that all sounds quite good. So why are we talking about this guy today?

Well, because I'm the way to being the ideal candidate running for governor in a purplish state, Tim Walls has come up against a challenge.

Both that have, both that have, both that have, both that have, both that have.

One of the credentials that made him so appealing to at least strategist in the Democratic Party, his support for gun rights, is now increasingly unacceptable to activist in the Democratic Party.

The people around us failed us. And if they continue to fail us, they will no longer be in office because soon we will be given the ability to vote, and we will vote them out.

And the people around us will vote them out.

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