Gov. Tim Walz, sworn in on Monday as Minnesota’s 41st governor, set out his hopes for Minnesota in his administration. As he said in his campaign, he wants “One Minnesota,” which benefits everyone, “regardless of zip code.”

He called on Minnesota to come together by closing educational gaps that exist in the state, investing in education, and in the state’s major research institutions. He also espoused affordable health care for all, saying the state must “figure out how to deliver health care more effectively, more affordably and with better results.”

These are all laudable goals. The question is how to provide all that in an affordable manner. The best indication of how Walz plans to do that will come in his budget message, which is due by Feb. 19. That will show what he plans to pay for and how he plans to pay for it.

Then, Walz will have to show how adept he is at forming partnerships and reaching across the aisle when it comes to pushing his agenda through the House and especially the Republican-controlled Senate.

This session of the Legislature will answer a lot of questions about how well government will work over the next four years. We hope the answer is a good one.