Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday praised Kamala Harris’ decision to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for her vice presidential running mate, and had a response to those attacking him as being far left.
“To characterize him as left is so unreal,” the California Democrat said in a interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” less than an hour after news outlets reported Harris picked Walz. “He’s right down the middle. He's a heartland of America Democrat.”
Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, tabbed Walz on Tuesday morning to as her choice, elevating the Midwestern governor with rural roots and populist appeal. Walz has a record of moderate positions, breaking with the Democratic Party on issues like gun rights. But since he was elected governor in 2018, he has compiled a staunchly liberal record. He has overseen a wave of progressive legislation on labor rights, gun regulations, paid leave, school lunches, and LGBTQ rights in his state.
But Pelosi argued that Walz's record and background are what make him moderate and appealing to rural Americans.
“He was the chair of our Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and I don't want anybody to forget that, because he made tremendous tremendous gains for our veterans, working with our folks on the [House] Appropriations Committee and with the Speaker. We made more progress than had ever been made in the history of our country since the G.I. Bill under his leadership. Twenty-five years in the National Guard, longest-serving noncommissioned officer ever served in the Congress,” Pelosi said. “He brings the security credential, he brings the rural credential, and he will do well in rural America.”
