In Politically Divided America, Even the Walz Family Has Painful Rifts

On the campaign trail, Tim Walz, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, has lamented the political divides in American families, recalling a time when relatives could show up at Thanksgiving dinner and “not complain about politics the whole time, not be on each other’s necks.”

As he and Vice President Kamala Harris launch their “New Way Forward” tour of battleground states, Mr. Walz has said they aim to “bring up the joy” and try to bridge those gaps.

Mr. Walz, the governor of Minnesota, knows firsthand how politics can pull families apart. His own family is a prime example.

In recent days, his brother Jeff Walz has spoken out on social media and in an interview with the right-leaning outlet NewsNation about the rift between them, noting that he is “100% opposed” to Tim Walz’s political ideology.

“The stories I could tell,” Jeff Walz said in a recent Facebook post about his brother. “Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future.” In another, he said he had “thought hard” about getting on stage and endorsing former President Donald J. Trump, to whom he donated $20 in 2016.

“I’m torn between that and just keeping my family out of it,” he wrote.

The divide between the Walz brothers is not the only political rift among the families at the top of the ticket in the 2024 election. Mr. Trump sued his niece Mary Trump, a vocal critic of his politics, after she turned over his confidential tax returns to The New York Times. Ms. Trump’s second memoir, which describes toxicity and dysfunction in their family, was released Tuesday.