Democrats are praising Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick of Tim Walz as her running mate, while Republicans are attacking the Minnesota governor as a liberal extremist.
What You Need To Know
- Democrats are praising Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick of Tim Walz as her running mate, while Republicans are attacking the Minnesota governor as a liberal extremist
- All five of the other finalists Harris was reportedly considering quickly threw their support behind Walz
- President Joe Biden and former President Barack Obama were among others who said they approve of the Walz pick
- Republicans, meanwhile, were trying to brand Walz as having far-left views Tuesday while putting back in the spotlight the 2020 racial injustice protests and rioting that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis
All five of the other finalists Harris was reportedly considering quickly threw their support behind Walz.
“I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of those finalists, said in a statement, adding he will attend Tuesday’s rally for Harris and Walz in Philadelphia.
Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who was also in the running, added in a post on X, formerly Twitter: “Vice President @KamalaHarris and Governor @Tim_Walz are going to move us forward. They’re already building a campaign to unite our country."
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, an Indiana native, said he’s excited for what Walz’s “Midwestern voice, military experience, and common-sense values will bring to our winning ticket.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said Walz “is a proven leader who brings to public service the big heart and hard work of a Midwesterner.” And Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Walz “a great friend and a great choice.”
President Joe Biden said in a statement Harris “made a great decision in choosing” Walz.
“The Harris-Walz ticket will be a powerful voice for working people and America's great middle class,” Biden said. “They will be the strongest defenders of our personal freedoms and our democracy. And they will ensure that America continues to lead the world and play its role as the indispensable nation.”
Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, said in a statement: “Like Vice President Harris, Governor Walz believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That's what makes him an outstanding governor, and that's what will make him an even better vice president, ready on day one.”
Former President Bill Clinton said in a statement that Harris "made a terriffic choice" in Walz.
"His resume speaks for itself," the 42nd president said, adding: "Tim Walz has walked the walk, and he’ll be a great vice president."
And former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was the Democratic presidential nominee in 2016, said she is “thrilled” Walz is on the Democratic ticket.
“From providing free meals for schoolkids to implementing paid family leave in Minnesota, he's about doing good in all the ways you can,” she said on X. “He'll be an incredible partner to our first woman president. Let's go win this.”
Republicans, meanwhile, were trying to brand Walz as having far-left views Tuesday while putting back in the spotlight the 2020 racial injustice protests and rioting that followed the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Walz has been Minnesota’s governor since 2019.
Just “like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerously liberal extremist,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
The Trump campaign quickly released an ad Tuesday morning saying: “Kamala Harris just doubled down on her radical vision for America by tapping another left-wing extremist as her VP nominee. Tim Walz will be a rubber stamp for Kamala's dangerously liberal agenda.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., posted on X that Walz “is a dream for the radical Left.”
In an interview with MSNBC, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pushed back against Republican claims that Walz is radical.
“To characterize him as 'left' is so unreal. … He’s right down the middle. He’s a Heartland of America Democrat,” said Pelosi, who worked with Walz in the House from 2007 to 2019.
In 2018, Walz’s final full year in Congress, GovTrack.us ranked him as the 12th most “most politically right” House Democrat out of 200. The conservative group Heritage Action for Foundation ranked all but four House Democrats that year more liberal than Walz during his final Congress.
Notably, however, Walz’s views on gun control have changed since he left Congress. He once was endorsed by the National Rifle Association and had an A rating from the gun rights group. “Now I get straight F’s, and I sleep just fine,” he said in July.
Randy Kozuch, chairman of the NRA’s Political Victory Fund, on Tuesday called Walz “a political chameleon” who changes his positions “to further his own personal agenda.”
Nevertheless, the Walz pick was celebrated Tuesday by Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., a leading voice for centrist politics.
“All of the candidates were strong and any one of them would have been a great pick, but I can think of no one better than Governor Walz to help bring our country closer together and bring balance back to the Democratic Party,” Manchin said.
Conservatives renewed their criticism of Walz’s handling of the Floyd protests, which resulted in violence, arson and looting. Some have attacked Walz for not doing more to stop the rioting.
Meanwhile, Republicans have noted that Harris had urged people to donate to a fund to help protesters in Minnesota post bail.
“They make an interesting tag team because, of course, Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, and then the few who got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail,” Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance told reporters.
Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, wrote on X: “If ‘Weak-on-crime Walz’ allowed BLM rioters to destroy his state and jeopardize the safety of law abiding citizens, how do you think he’ll handle terrorists, drug cartels, and our adversaries around the world?”