While Democrats cheer Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota as Kamala Harris’ running mate, Republican political pros are absolutely giddy.
“I am ecstatic. I am so pleased with this pick,” said Sean Spicer, former White House spokesman for Donald Trump, on Mark Halperin’s “The Morning Meeting” just minutes after the news broke. “I think putting Pennsylvania in play was such a smarter move.”
“Walz combines the socialism of Bernie Sanders with the incompetence of Michael Scott,” GOP strategist Matt Wolking quipped.
And Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the head of the National Republican Senate Committee, tweeted: “Thanks, Kamala.”
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro had been considered the front-runner to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick, partly because he’s viewed as a moderate Democrat.
Walz, on the other hand, is an unapologetic progressive whose record as governor of the Gopher State is “an oppo research goldmine,” according to one GOP strategist.
“Tim Walz is a radical extremist,” said longtime Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski.
By picking Walz, “Harris has doubled-down on her biggest problem: She’s too far to the left,” said veteran GOP strategist Pat Griffin. “Trump made the same mistake, doubling down on his base and giving Democrats an advantage. Harris just leveled the playing field.”
On the list of issues Republicans have already highlighted is Walz’s record on illegal immigration. He’s signed bills giving undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, taxpayer-funded health care and college tuition. He also is a strong supporter of sanctuary cities.
Walz signed a bill legalizing abortion through the entire nine months of pregnancy, and he signed an order allowing minors to undergo sex-reassignment surgery.
The choice of Walz “makes it easier for us,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told The Hill. “He is a far-left candidate and choice. I frankly thought that she might try to choose a moderate, but obviously she has proven once again who she is.”
Another issue for Republicans is how Walz handled — or mishandled — the riots in Minneapolis that followed the murder of George Floyd by a city police officer. Walz acknowledged an “abject failure” in the response to the riots.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the riots inflicted $500 million in damage to the Twin Cities, the second-costliest rioting in U.S. history (only the 1992 Rodney King riots in Los Angeles were worse).
Harris made her own news in the aftermath of the riots, tweeting a fundraising request for a bail fund that aided protesters with their legal costs.
Asked about Harris picking Walz, Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance said, “They make an interesting tag team because Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020, and the few that got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail.”
Walz supporters insist that his Midwestern roots and background as a former high school teacher and football coach will connect with middle-class voters, regardless of his record as governor. During their first appearance together as the Democratic ticket in Philadelphia, Harris referred to her running mate as “Coach Walz.”
But even moderate Republican Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire thinks Walz will struggle to defend his record.
“Governor Walz and I have always gotten along, but given that he is one of the most liberal governors in the country joining with one of the most liberal (former) senators in the country, this ticket is definitely not good news for taxpayers and families.
“Under Governor Walz, families in Minnesota have seen monthly household inflation costs outpace the national average. He proposed raising the gas tax by 70%. He’s supported turning Minnesota into a sanctuary state. On all the kitchen table issues on the minds of American families, his far-left record would take us in the wrong direction.”
Graham is the managing editor at InsideSources.com.
