Pawlenty describes Walz as a Midwest Bernie Sanders.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, the last Republican to serve as governor of the North Star State, has criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, asserting that it reflects a deep commitment to the Democratic Party’s “democrat-socialist agenda.”
Harris named Minnesota’s incumbent governor as her running mate on Tuesday, Aug. 6, following weeks of whirlwind speculation regarding who she would tap to be her vice president.
“As a governor, a coach, a teacher and a veteran, he’s delivered for working families like his,” said Harris in a statement announcing her selection.
Harris praised Walz for his supposed bipartisanship and willingness to collaborate with Republicans to secure infrastructure investments, mandating universal background checks for gun purchases, cutting taxes for working-class families, passing paid family and medical leave bills and making Minnesota the first state to enshrine into the state constitution protections to the right to abortion following the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Walz, 60, has used his term as governor to massively overhaul Minnesota and turn it into a progressive state – an overhaul that went on overdrive following his winning a second term in 2022 and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party – the Minnesota branch of the Democrats – took full control of both houses of the state legislature. With Walz on the ticket, the Democrats may now use Minnesota as a template for their national plans.
Pawlenty describes Walz as a Midwest Bernie Sanders
Pawlenty, who served as governor from 2003 to 2011 and previously campaigned to be the Republican Party’s candidate for the 2012 election, shared his views regarding Walz with Fox 9.
Pawlenty described Walz as “philosophically and politically” aligned with Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, though he noted that Walz brings a distinct “style and geography” to the 2024 Democratic ticket.
(Related: INTEGRITY ISSUE: Kamala Harris distances herself from past far-left stances to win voter support.)
“She has sort of the San Francisco, California, vibe. He’s going to have sort of the ‘Bernie Sanders in hunting gear’ vibe,” Pawlenty commented. “So, it’s the same product, just in different wrappers.”
While Walz’s record is celebrated by progressives, it has also provided ammunition for Republicans who view Harris and her running mate as too liberal.
Pawlenty suggested that the campaign of former President Donald Trump will easily be able to criticize Walz for his handling of the 2020 George Floyd riots, which massively rocked Minneapolis and led to a police station being burned to the ground.
He also pointed to Walz’s record of significant state spending increases and a scandal involving Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic relief fraud as potential Republican talking points.
“Rising crime and high-profile fraud within state government under his watch, with a nonpartisan legislative auditor saying, ‘You’re not taking it seriously,’” Pawlenty said. “The target audience for a lot of this is going to be persuadable voters in swing states.”
Meanwhile, Pawlenty also acknowledged Walz’s possible strengths as a campaigner.
“On a personal level, he’s energetic, he’s friendly, he’s folksy. He’s interested in issues. He likes to campaign,” Pawlenty said. “Their problem isn’t going to be campaign style or skills or energy. It’s going to be whether America is ready for a doubling down on this democrat-socialist agenda.”
He expressed doubts about the Harris-Walz ticket’s appeal, noting that Trump has his own challenges.
“I think this ticket, the Harris-Walz ticket, would be pretty beatable if the Republicans had a better candidate,” Pawlenty said. “There’s a bunch of Republicans and independents who don’t like Trump that the Republicans could leverage.”
Pawlenty clarified his personal stance, stating he does not support the Harris-Walz ticket and has voted for Trump in the past, with the possibility of doing so again.
“I think the Trump campaign is going to make it very clear that this isn’t some moderate or centrist choice,” he said of Walz. “They’re going to characterize it as a radical ticket. And I don’t know how well that will play in places like Pennsylvania.”
Watch this clip from Newsmax with Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) describing the Harris-Walz ticket as “far-left.”