Minnesota Governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz streamed Crazy taxi with U.S. House of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Sunday. The two discussed politics and policy ahead of the upcoming 2024 presidential election in November, but more importantly, voters finally got to see Walz put his previously touted video game skills to use.
Ocasio-Cortez hosted the stream on her official Twitch channel. The New York representative streamed various games for about two hours. At first she played Stardew Valley alone until Walz joined her around the 30 minute mark. Walz said he “really enjoyed (watching the AOC game)” and talked about farming. Soon after, the two started their gaming session to play around Madden NFL 25 and answer questions from the chat.
Just before Walz signed off, he ended his performance with a little surprise: playing Crazy taxi.
Why Crazy taxi? Well, Walz has been a fan of the game for a long time. Originally released for arcade machines in 1999, Sega ported the chaotic racing game to the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. That August the New York Times reported that Walz had purchased a Sega Dreamcast, but his wife forced him to get rid of it. Walz told that same story again during the livestream. “I had money so I went out and bought a Sega Dreamcast,” he said.
He only played one round, but he wasn’t that bad. Sure, he stopped on the sidewalk a few times and almost hit a few pedestrians, but he definitely knew what he was doing. He picked up several clients as the green-haired driver, Axel, and finished his round with $209.50 in earnings. You can watch the full video recording of the stream below.
To some, it may seem strange to see an older candidate running for one of the top positions in federal office, going online and playing a few video games. However, Democratic candidates are increasingly using Twitch as a way to reach potential voters. In 2020, Ocasio-Cortez streamed Among us to more than 435,000 viewers and last week, Senator Bernie Sanders (DV.T.) livestreamed with popular Twitch creators like Imane “Pokimane” Anys.
Walz said Sunday’s stream reflected a more inclusive view of politics.
“Go vote. There is a new way forward here. Our politics can be joyful, fun and engaging, everyone can participate. There is plenty to do,” he said.