Harris’s VP pick is a gift to the GOP; Resets the race
Harris's first major decision as the Democratic presidential nominee confounded many of us who consider it a missed opportunity. Why did Harris choose Walz over Shapiro? She was already favored to win Minnesota. But she is currently trailing Trump in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, which is essential to her path to victory.
This week, Vice President Kamala Harris bowed to the radical pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party and tapped Tim Walz, Minnesota’s hard-left governor, as her running mate, making this the most extreme presidential ticket in U.S. history.
Tremendously relieved that Harris passed over Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s popular and comparably moderate governor, former President Donald Trump responded with a simple message: “THANK YOU!”
Harris’s first major decision as the Democratic presidential nominee confounded many of us who consider it a missed opportunity. Why did Harris choose Walz over Shapiro? She was already favored to win Minnesota. But she is currently trailing Trump in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania, which is essential to her path to victory. In fact, the outcome in the Keystone State may decide the election.
No doubt this was a nod to the far-left wing of the party and to Arab American voters who may have sat out the election had she chosen Shapiro, who is Jewish. Did Harris reject Shapiro because of his faith? Many people think so, including Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH). The growing antisemitic sentiment that has taken root inside the Democratic Party in recent years cannot be denied.
The Pennsylvania governor has come under intense fire by progressive factions within the party for his pro-Israeli views. The fervor intensified after an op-ed written during his college days surfaced last week. In it, Shapiro argued that peace between Israel and the Palestinians was “virtually impossible” because the latter are too “battle-minded.” He described himself “as a Jew and past volunteer in the Israeli army.”
Salena Zito weighed in on the decision, saying Harris’s choice of Walz signals this will be “a base election.” Choosing Shapiro “would’ve been about expanding the coalition.”
She added that the decision likely was made by Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who has “been at the controls all along.”
(It’s been widely reported that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) was pushing hard for Walz’s selection as well.)
Just how extreme is Walz? During a call with the group “White Dudes for Harris” last week, Walz told supporters, “Don’t ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.”
Walz embraces every radical position that Harris has spent the last two weeks trying to run away from and scrub from the internet. To name a few, he supports abortion up until the moment of birth, the Green New Deal, open borders, and taxpayer-funded services for illegal immigrants.
The Associated Press reported that Walz turned Minnesota into a “trans refuge.” In April 2023, the state passed legislation encouraging out-of-state minors to come to Minnesota for gender-affirming treatment.
Long before being tapped as Harris’s running mate, Walz’s utter failure of leadership was thrust into the national spotlight during the George Floyd riots that began in Minneapolis in May 2020. He stood frozen for three days as rioters looted local stores and burned the city to the ground.
The day after rioters set fire to Minneapolis’s Third Precinct police station, he finally called in the National Guard. But it was too late for many businesses in the city. According to Scott Johnson, the founder of Power Line blog and a Minnesota resident, the riots caused approximately “$500 million in damage in the Twin Cities and the harm persists.”
At any rate, sources “involved with the vetting process” told Politico that by the end of Walz’s one-on-one meeting with Harris on Sunday at the Naval Observatory, the two had developed a “rapport” and that Harris “came away impressed and, frankly, just really liked him.”
The sources said that as governor, Walz has “racked up accomplishments at the state level that Harris wants to replicate in her presidency — including on access to reproductive health care, paid leave, child tax credits and gun safety.”
Shapiro’s interview, according to the sources, did not go nearly as well. Following their meeting, “Shapiro called Harris’ team and made clear that he was struggling with the decision to leave his current job as governor in order to seek the vice presidency.”
Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, Harris’s choice of Walz is good news for the GOP. Apparently, the left-leaning news site Vox agrees. Shortly after the news broke, the site’s featured article asked, “Will Kamala Harris regret picking Tim Walz over Josh Shapiro?”
Harris’s choice of Walz may be just the misstep that Republicans have been waiting for to reset the narrative in this race. The playing field changed dramatically when President Joe Biden dropped out on July 21 and endorsed Harris. Since that day, Harris has been riding high in the polls, even surpassing Trump in national surveys this week.
While this pick may excite Harris’s base, it is also likely to alienate many independents. Republicans must seize this opportunity to stop her momentum and start winning again.
Elizabeth Stauffer is a Research Fellow at the Sixteenth Council
