WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to complete the Democratic presidential ticket — which GOP leaders say is the most liberal ever seen from the left.
Walz, 60 — a darling of the far left —reportedlydrew Harris’ eye by leading the charge to defend her against what he branded “weird” criticism from former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance.
The dark-horse candidate — a cheerleader of China and former educator — spent 24 years in the Army National Guard and a decade in the US House of Representatives before running for governor in 2018.
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Walz joined Harris in Philadelphia on Tuesday evening for their first appearance together, during which the vice president branded the pair as“two middle-class kids” with the same values — in an apparent attempt to paint the campaign as the “underdog” fighting for the “future.”
“One, a daughter of Oakland, Calif., who was raised by a working mother,” Harris said. “The other, a son of the Nebraska plains who grew up working on a farm. Only in America is it possible for them together to make it all the way to the White House.”
“Coach Walz and I may hail from different corners of this great country. But our values are the same,” she added. “We both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down.”
Walz was a high-school teacher and football coach before serving in the House of Representatives and becoming governor in 2018.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked Tim Walz to be my running mate,’’ Harris, 59, said in a statement earlier in the day — an announcement gleefully welcomed by Trump and his Republican team, who immediately branded the veep pick as a kowtowing, anti-cop, illegal-migrant-loving “radical.’’
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher, and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” Harris said.
On paper, Walz, a married dad of two, presents as a Midwestern stalwart who can help Democrats hold the Rust Belt.
But he has a history of implementing wildly liberal policies — and was even endorsed to become VP by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
His selection for the Dem ticket also drew praise from “The Squad,’’ a group of radical House reps infamous for their extreme views on everything from defundingcopsto the Gaza war.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are two open-borders, weak-on-crime, defund-the-police liberals who make up the most radical, far-left ticket in the history of our country,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
Left-wing ticket
Walz has a much more progressive pedigree as governor than others who had been on Harris’ veepstakes shortlist.
He has supported efforts to turn his home state into a sanctuary state, a term that refers to states that limit or deny local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
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He also has backed programs that cater to illegal migrants, signing laws that dole out free state-funded health care, driver’s licenses and college tuition to the undocumented masses.
GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis agreed with Whatley that Harris’ selection of Walz signals the “most left-wing ticket in American history.’’
He accused his Minnesota counterpart of not doing enough to stem violence during the 2020 protests in the North Star State over the killing of George Floyd.
The Minnesota governor caught flak for being too slow to deploy the National Guard to quell widespread riots in the city, which suffered $500 million in property damage and looting after the death of Floyd.
“Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn,” DeSantis said.
Trump had two words after Walz was announced as theDems’VP pick: “THANK YOU!”
Members of “The Squad” were equally pleased Harris chose the progressive Democrat — although for a very different reason.
In addition to his illegal-migrant stances, Walz’s first official move as Minnesota’s governor was launching a statewide “woke’’ diversity, equity and inclusion commission, which he renewed after being re-elected in 2022.
“Squad’’ members Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) hailed Walz on X on Tuesday.
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“Our North Star state Governor has signed universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law,’’ Omar crowed.
Bowman, who was crushed in a June primary race, dooming his re-election, posted video in which he wildly shouts, “It’s Walz, baby, let’s go!”
ButWalzhas plenty of detractors at home.
Hehas been slammed for his botched response during the COVID-19 pandemic, which included wasting more than $5 million in state funds to purchase a refrigerated warehouse for a potential morgue that stayed vacant.
He also permitted a $250 million scheme that defrauded the federal government of COVID stimulus dollars and exploited poor children.
Follow The Post’s coverage on Kamala Harris’ running mate Tim Walz:
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“Personal connection”
But another key factor in Harris’ decisionto pickWalz was based merely on the personal connection between the pair, sources said.
She had reportedly wanted someone with whom she believed she could have a great working rapport, after several years of toiling with Biden, a onetime political rival who she once viciously publicly skeweredand is now allegedly in mental and physical decline.
Harris felt she prioritized loyalty in her pick of Walz, the New York Times reported, citing people close to the decision-making process.
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Harris became especially comfortable with Walz during the final days of the vetting process — and was particularly impressed by his “happy-go-lucky” attitude, sources told CNN.
In March, Harris was greeted by Walz in Minnesota when she became the first vice president to visit a Planned Parenthood clinic.
Before that, the pair had many personal interactions with one another, but the visit reportedly left her “impressed” with the plain-spoken mid-Westerner’s demeanor.
Walz has also served as the Democratic National Committee’s co-chair of its rules panel, during which he has done some collaboration with the Harris campaign.
Still, Walz has little name recognition outside his state.
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A poll from NPR, PBS and Marist released Tuesday found that 71% of US adults had never heard of him or were unsure of how to rate him.
Rushed decision
Harris had to choose her No. 2 quickly after the DNC forced a virtual roll call vote to appoint both its presidential and vice presidential nominee in the first week of August.
The veep was reported to have fired off vetting materials to her potential No. 2s just days after Biden suspended his presidential campaign last month.
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In the days leading up to her announcement, Harris had zeroed in on a trio of potential finalists — including Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who acknowledged he’d been in the running in a statement made after the Democratic candidate’s decision Monday.
Vance said Tuesday that Walz was picked because Harris believed she had to bend to the far left, which made Shapiro a non-starter.
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Extreme liberals had dubbed Shapiro “Genocide Josh” over his support for Israel in the Gaza war, as Harris was deliberating over a potential running mate.
Harris also was said to be afraid that the charismatic Shapiro would upstage her.
Harris and Walz are set to spend the next few days flying thousands of miles around the country as they tour critical battleground states.
They will be tailed in some locations by Trump’s veep candidate, Vance.
Harris’ No. 2 may have to face off in a debate against Vance, although the dates and logistics have yet to be set.
