While a crowd of Democrats cheered Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota at a raucous rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Republican political pros are absolutely giddy.
“I am ecstatic. I am so pleased with this pick,” said former Donald Trump White House spokesman Sean Spicer 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,” quipped GOP strategist Matt Wolking.
And Sen. Steve Daines of Montana, the head of the National Republican Senate Committee, tweeted, “Thanks, Kamala.”
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 member of his party.
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, signing bills to give undocumented aliens driver’s licenses, and free, taxpayer-funded healthcare and college tuition. He’s also a strong supporter of sanctuary cities and amnesty for undocumented immigrants in the United States.
Walz signed a bill legalizing abortion through the entire nine months of pregnancy, and he signed an order allowing minors to undergo sex-change surgery no matter how young.
The choice of Walz “makes it easier for us. 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,” Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana told The Hill.
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, who acknowledges his performance during the riots was an “abject failure,” delayed in sending the National Guard in the face of repeated requests from the Minneapolis mayor.
According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the riots inflicted $500 million in damage on 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 rioters 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 Tuesday night in Philadelphia, Harris referred to her running mate as “Coach Walz.”
However, 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 percent. 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.”
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