GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance reacted to Vice President Kamala Harris picking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her 2024 running mate, saying the former high school football coach is “far-left.”
“He’s a really far-left candidate. He’s a really far-left governor, but the fact that Kamala Harris selected him, I think shows really, really poor judgment and that she doesn’t have what it takes to be President of the United States,” Vance said Tuesday on “Hannity.”
Walz was chosen over Jewish Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro in the veepstakes race, a move Vance says shows Harris has “bent the knee to the far-left” of the Democratic Party.
Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz appear on stage together during a campaign event at Girard College on August 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Harris ended weeks of speculation about who her running mate would be, selecting the 60-year-old midwestern governor over other candidates. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“This decision, selecting Tim Walz, is another sign that she doesn’t care what the American people think,” Vance said. “She is only in this to obey the far-left radicals within her own party. It’s a really shameful moment for Kamala Harris.”
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He added that he believes “antisemites” within Harris’ party drove the conversation over who should ultimately be given the running mate slot.
Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro is seen at the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony during Wawa Welcome America on July 04, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Shapiro received criticism from progressives over his pro-Israel stance and an op-ed he wrote in his college newspaper in which he described Palestinians as “too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own,” according to a report from The Philadelphia Inquirer.
A Harris aide pushed back on claims Shapiro was passed over due to criticism from progressives and anti-Israel activists, telling The Forward the suggestions are “absurd” and “absolutely ridiculous and offensive.”
“Josh Shapiro is a fantastic leader, and he was almost chosen,” the official told the outlet.
Shapiro gave a rousing speech at the first joint appearance of Harris and Walz at a campaign rally Tuesday in Philadelphia.
People take their seats ahead of U.S Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ rally with her newly chosen vice presidential running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., August 6, 2024. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
Vance told Fox News host Sean Hannity a vice presidential candidate shouldn’t be chosen based on whether they have the “right ethnic background.”
“It’s profoundly anti–American,” he said.
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“Numerous grassroots activists, numerous leaders within the Democrat Party said you shouldn’t choose this guy because he’s Jewish. I take them at their word. That’s face value. And that is ridiculous for any American political party.”