Harris picks Tim Walz

Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is the popular governor of a must-win swing state with 18 electoral college votes. Shapiro has won the state both as attorney general and now as governor. He has deep ties to Barack Obama, having supported Obama in 2008 against Hillary Clinton. He, likewise, has a machine in the state capable of turning out votes. But, unfortunately for Shapiro, he is Jewish—and he supports Israel.

Anti-Semites have been more and more vocal in the Democratic Party. The Arab American vote in Dearborn, Mich., spooked Joe Biden in the Democratic Primary where “uncommitted” on the ballot and other candidates combined got over 20 percent of the vote. Since then, Biden has noticeably shifted his tone and positions on Israel.

Now, despite the clear strategic advantages that Shapiro would bring to the table, Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. Harris has, in effect, given the anti-Semites of the Democratic Party a heckler’s veto over her running mate.

Back up two weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to the United States to address Congress. Vice President Harris met with him. No one knows what they discussed, but it is probably not a coincidence that Netanyahu went back to Israel and began the rapid and ruthless extermination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders from Gaza to Beirut to Damascus to Tehran. More than one outside observer commented that Harris probably signaled a major shift in policy if she got elected and the polling momentum towards Harris has been obvious since she got in.

Now, two weeks later, Harris has given up the most strategic running-mate play in the face of demands from the progressive left who hated the idea of not just a Jew on the ticket, but one who had once volunteered and served for a time in support of the Israeli Defense Force. No Jews are allowed at the top of the ticket, particularly one who clearly supports Israel.

Instead, Harris has chosen the extremely progressive governor of Minnesota. In 2020, Walz shut down Minnesota schools, refused to reopen them under pressure from teachers’ unions, and issued mandatory mask mandates. Walz shut down Minnesota churches and businesses and refused to reopen churches or schools, but allowed bars and retailers to open back up.

During the summer riot season of 2020, Minneapolis police asked Walz for more resources to combat the rioters and Walz refused. Rioters burned down many small businesses in Minneapolis. In fact, since Walz became governor of Minnesota, crime has skyrocketed with murder rates up 58 percent, robberies up 28 percent, and assaults on police officers up 62 percent.

Walz is a supporter of loose immigration. He famously said on television that if Donald Trump built a wall, he would invest in a ladder factory because Thanksgiving Dinner is impossible without illegal immigrants working. Walz is also a proponent of higher income taxes. Minnesota is one of the few states that taxes retiree Social Security benefits and, during COVID, Walz tried to get the Minnesota legislature to raise income taxes.

Walz is also deeply culturally progressive. He has embraced boys in girls’ sports, attacked Christians as “transphobic,” and pushed for laws that protect transitions for children. Walz is also deeply pro-abortion, having signed legislation that makes abortion a “fundamental right” in Minnesota.

Since Kamala Harris became the Democrats’ nominee two weeks ago, she has adopted the Biden basement strategy of 2020. She has avoided unscripted interviews with the press and avoided tough questions. Now, by rejecting a popular Jewish governor for a middle-aged white progressive, Harris’ strategy seems very clear—avoid unforced errors by avoiding unscripted events and consolidate progressives to maximize base turnout at the expense of independents. It worked for Joe Biden in 2020. It is the same playbook.

There is one other, notable point to make about picking Walz. Walz is 60 years old. Shapiro is 51. Now, 60 is certainly not old in today’s national politics, but 51 offers an even longer political runway. Many ambitious Democrats presumed that Biden would, at most, be done by 2028, giving them an opening. Harris potentially pushes the clock to 2032. Walz, by then, would be almost 70 years old and might be less likely than Shapiro to run. At the very least, that Harris did not pick Shapiro means the Pennsylvania governor is not automatically given that advantage in future Democratic primaries. Harris’ play also gives ambitious Democrats like Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Gavin Newsom of California a glimmer of hope about their own future prospects. Now, they can eagerly support Harris knowing they probably still have a chance later.

Harris has made her first big decision of the presidential campaign and managed to choose poorly. It is a gift to the Trump campaign. Harris handed her campaign over to the far-left anti-Semitic hecklers who have blocked Jewish students from buildings and burned American flags. After two weeks that have driven polling towards Harris, Trump finally has a way to get his momentum back.

Editor’s note: This column was originally published on Aug. 6.

Correction: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Biden during his trip to Washington.