Meet Tim Walz, Kamala Harris’s VP Pick
By Gillian Thorp
Kamala Harris made headlines with the announcement of her VP pick, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. While Democrats are publicly praising him, there was likely disappointment behind the scenes. For weeks, speculation buzzed around contenders Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro and U.S. senator Mark Kelly. Shapiro seemed to be the frontrunner until revelations tied him to an unsolved “suicide” case and other scandals, abruptly shaking up the shortlist and ending in Walz becoming Harris’s running mate.
A “Moderate” Facade?
With Nancy Pelosi and the media forcing the branding that Walz is a “moderate,” Democrats are desperate to mask his far-left positions. Given Kamala’s history of extreme left views and policies, picking Walz might be her biggest political blunder yet. Walz will alienate moderate voters who can see through his façade. Minnesota has been a blue stronghold since 1972. Why not pick someone who could sway a crucial swing state? Some have suggested that potential candidates shied away from joining her ticket because of possible reputational risk and lack of faith that she could win in 2024.
Who Is Tim Walz?
Stolen Valor: To understand Walz, we should first hear from the men who served with him in the National Guard. They describe his service as traitorous, fraudulent, and an abject failure. According to his fellow servicemen, Walz quit the National Guard when he was about to be deployed to Iraq.
“When your country calls, you are supposed to run into battle — not the other way,” a retired sergeant major told the New York Post.
“He ran away. It’s sad,” Tom Behrends, Command Sergeant Major added. “He had the opportunity to serve his country and said ‘screw you’ to the United States. That’s not who I would pick to run for vice president.”
HF146: In April 2023, Walz doubled down on his extreme left policies and signed HF146, a bill that allowed the state to make custody determinations in cases of children who traveled to Minnesota because they were denied sex-change procedures in another state. Under this law, Minnesota can assume “temporary emergency jurisdiction” if a child’s parents disagree with transgender treatments. Essentially, if your child expresses gender confusion and you object to medical intervention, the state can potentially take custody. This comes at a time when Americans are increasingly calling for a stop to so-called “gender-affirming care” for minors.
Minneapolis Riots: Walz’s mishandling of the Minneapolis riots following George Floyd’s death was catastrophic. In the summer of 2020, city blocks burned at the hands of violent protesters, who looted 1,500 buildings and caused three deaths and $500 million in damages.
As governor, Walz waited three days before calling in the National Guard as arsonists and rioters ran wild. His delay in deploying the National Guard led to mass destruction and chaos. He failed Minneapolis business owners and law-abiding citizens when they needed his leadership.
Not to mention, Harris supported bailing out the criminals responsible for these acts.
Taxpayer-Funded Benefits for Illegal Migrants: As a sanctuary state governor, Walz has signed legislation that provides state-funded health care, free college tuition, and driver’s licenses to illegal migrants.
On Minnesota becoming a sanctuary state, Walz has said, “Congress has given federal agencies the authority to enforce immigration laws in Minnesota, and I support their doing so. Congress has not given local law enforcement that same authority. The role of law enforcement is to enforce state and local laws, not federal immigration laws.”
Walz, who is in favor of unlimited illegal aliens entering the U.S. has said: “Let me know how high it is [proposed border wall]. If it’s 25 feet, then I’ll invest in a 30-foot-ladder factory.”
Tampon Tim: One of Walz’s trusted advisors, Minnesota state representative and transgender-identifying man Leigh Finke played a crucial role in getting Walz to rubber-stamp a bill that would that mandate public schools stock boys’ bathrooms with menstrual products. This decision has earned Walz the unfortunate nickname “Tampon Tim” on X. In addition, Republicans say the bill is full of mandates that no school district asked for.
Covid Tyrant: As one of the most vigorous Covid enforcers among his Democratic peers, Walz created a “snitch line” through which thousands of residents could report neighbors for not following draconian social distancing rules. In addition to this massive abuse of government power, Walz also issued $1,000 fines and jail terms for violators. He also defended sending sick, elderly patients back to nursing homes, where the infection spread, causing disproportionate deaths.
Close Ties to China: Walz has nurtured a profound affinity and admiration for China over the years, a country he says he has visited 30 times for work engagements, trade missions, and even a honeymoon with his wife, Gwen, accompanied by 60 American high-school students for “sightseeing and cultural lessons.”
Responding to Harris’s selection, Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance, speaking in Philadelphia, accused Walz of planning to send jobs to China.
“Tim Walz is a guy who wants to shift more and more American manufacturing jobs to China,” Vance said.
A Legacy of Controversy
Walz’s policies — ranging from state meddling in parental rights when it comes to experimental child sex-change procedures to covering for rioters — are nothing short of radical. Walz is far from the “moderate” candidate Democrats want you to believe he is. His leadership would assault our political system in profoundly harmful ways. Harris’s choice of running mate speaks volumes about her political priorities.
Gillian Thorp is the award-winning author of The Colour of the Sun.
