Following a rally in Philadelphia — where the newly minted Democratic ticket will debut Tuesday — Mr. Vance cast the Minnesota governor as too extreme for office.
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‘Tim Walz’s Record Is a Joke’: JD Vance Slams Harris’s V.P. Pick
JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, shared his thoughts on the Democratic ticket at a rally in Philadelphia.
Tim Walz’s record is a joke. He’s been one of the most far-left radicals in the entire United States government at any level. But I think that what Tim Walz’s selection says is that Kamala Harris has bent the knee to the far left of her party, which is what she always does. No, I absolutely want to debate Tim Walz, but I want to debate him actually after he’s actually officially the nominee. And I did call him and congratulate him, and offered him my best wishes. I think that’s the polite thing to do.
JD Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, shared his thoughts on the Democratic ticket at a rally in Philadelphia.Credit
Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, on Tuesday criticized Tim Walz, hours after the Minnesota governor was tapped to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, as too extreme for office, the latest in a series of attacks from former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign.
After a rally in Philadelphia, just hours before Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz will hold their first joint rally in the same city, Mr. Vance focused on Mr. Walz’s record shepherding his state through the 2020 George Floyd protests as well as his positions on economic policy. Despite the fact that the two represent Midwestern states, Mr. Vance tried to distance himself from Mr. Walz, whom he described as a “San Francisco-style liberal,” a label the Trump campaign has sought to use against Ms. Harris.
While Mr. Vance did not mention Mr. Walz in his speech, he took questions from reporters after the rally, calling Mr. Walz's career “a joke” and saying that he would debate the governor, but only after his nomination was official.
During the session with reporters, Mr. Vance bemoaned what he called a “little switcheroo” from President Biden to Ms. Harris and cast doubt on whether Mr. Walz would remain Ms. Harris’s running mate.
Mr. Vance, known first for his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” has focused on his background in the Midwest, though he spent time in Silicon Valley, working as a venture capitalist in the tech industry. He must now compete against a Nebraska-born Minnesotan who has leveraged his rural roots and military background, and who presents as a quintessential “Midwestern dad” online, instead of Ms. Harris, who was second on the ticket before President Biden dropped out of the race.
While Mr. Vance had prepared for a different potential rival, on Tuesday he lobbed the same criticisms at Mr. Walz that he has at Ms. Harris, calling them “partners in crime.” He accused Mr. Walz of hoping to move manufacturing jobs overseas, just as he has said about Ms. Harris. In fact, most of his references to Mr. Walz came with at least a passing mention of “Kamala.”
“The biggest problem with the Tim Walz pick is not Tim Walz himself, it’s what it says about Kamala Harris,” he said, adding that Ms. Harris “bent the knee” to progressives in the Democratic Party by selecting him.
Mr. Vance’s rally in Philadelphia was the first in a tour through battleground states that nearly mirrors the itinerary of the Harris campaign. On Tuesday evening, Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz will hold their first rally together as running mates at the Liacouras Center in North Philadelphia, just six miles from the South Philadelphia venue Mr. Vance visited this afternoon. On Wednesday, both campaigns will hold events in Eau Claire, Wis., and make stops in Michigan.
Simon J. Levien is a Times political reporter covering the 2024 elections and a member of the 2024-25 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers. More about Simon J. Levien
See more on: J.D. Vance, Donald Trump, 2024 Elections, Kamala Harris
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Source: nytimes.com
