Trump and Harris campaigns race to define Tim Walz | Real Time Headlines

this Kamala Harris and Donald Trump The presidential campaign raced to unveil a portrait of its newly announced Democratic running mate, Minnesota’s governor, on Tuesday. Tim Waltz.

According to the Harris campaign, Walz is a moderate moderate. According to Trump’s operation, he is a radical leftist.

What neither campaign disputes is that Walz is relatively unknown on the national stage. In a campaign with a tight schedule, both camps have only a short window of time to decide how voters view Harris’ running mate.

according to a NPR/Marist Poll Data released Tuesday morning showed that 70% of registered voters have either never heard of Walz or have no clear opinion of him. The survey found that among those who have a favorable opinion of Walz, 17% said they approved and 12% said they disapproved.

In her first appearance, Harris praised Walz’s character and his working-class background, calling him a champion of ordinary Americans with a record of success.

“One of the things that struck me about Tim is how deeply rooted his belief in fighting for middle-class families is,” Harris posted on social media Tuesday morning. “This is a private matter.”

A new profile of Waltz Harris’ campaign website mentions “family” or “family” eight times and highlights his life as a National Guard member, high school teacher and football coach before entering politics.

The biographical description of Walz sometimes makes him sound like a traditional Republican. Reports say he won a congressional seat in a conservative-leaning district by “representing the needs of farmers and rural America,” then touted his support for the Second Amendment and his gubernatorial record of “putting more police on the streets.” .

It also noted that he was commemorated abortion rights After the Minnesota Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Walz’s victory over Harris as vice president quickly earned him recognition from unions and some of the younger activists who had been supporting him.

“I’m getting a lot of letters from young voters who are so excited. A month ago, they could hardly imagine voting,” New Yorker staff writer Jane Mayer wrote on X.

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign and its Republican allies are trying to cast Walz’s selection as a capitulation to the far left of the Democratic Party.

“It’s no surprise that San Francisco Libertarian Kamala Harris wants West Coast Tim Walz as her running mate,” Trump campaign press secretary Carolyn Leavitt said in a statement Tuesday morning.

“Walz has spent his entire tenure as governor trying to reshape Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” Leavitt said. “Like Kamala Harris, Tim Walz is a dangerous liberal extremist, and the Harris-Walz California Dream is every American’s nightmare.”

“While Walz attempts to sell himself as a moderate, his record shows that he has consistently supported the most liberal policies that the national Democratic Party has to offer,” Sarah Craig, executive director of the Republican Governors Association, wrote in a memo. , and will do so in lockstep with the Democratic agenda that has already failed Americans.

“This is a very dangerous vote, a very liberal vote, a very progressive vote,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said on Fox News.

The campaign also sought to express confidence in the choice’s impact on their chances of winning in November, casting it as an unforced error by the Harris campaign.

“Thank you!” Ace wrote exist truth society.

“Tim Walz? What a relief,” longtime Trump aide Kellyanne Conway said on X.

The early wave of attacks, many of which came before Harris’ campaign was officially announced, suggested Republicans were trying to prevent Democrats from introducing Walz to the nation as an avuncular, outspoken Midwestern populist.

Walz joins Harris’ campaign as Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. Vance, has struggled to quell a flurry of negative headlines in the early weeks of his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination.

Vancee has cAum has been criticized for some of her past comments, including denigrating childless women.cat lady without kidsHe dismissed criticism of the comment, saying he was being sarcastic and his broader point was to protect families.

Vance has also faced repeated questions about his 180-degree shift in sound in recent years. against trump Come support him. Some recent opinion polls show Vance’s negative comments His influence has grown since he became Trump’s running mate.

Some Republicans claimed that Harris’ choice of Walz over another major contender, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, showed Democrats were siding with progressives who have fought hard during Israel’s war with Hamas has been one of Israel’s strongest critics.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, has come under scrutiny on the left for his support of Israel. Shapiro’s defenders accuse him of being unfairly singled out, possibly because of his religious beliefs, because his views are so similar to those of other potential Democratic running mates.

Ari Fleischer, former White House press secretary under President George W. Bush, said on It’s time for the Jewish community to recognize the power of Israel.

Vance said earlier Tuesday that anti-Semitism would be to blame if the Harris campaign did not select Shapiro.

Vance told the conservative radio host: “Well, listen, if it weren’t for Josh Shapiro, I agree with you. Frankly, I don’t think they would be concerned about anti-Semitism in their own caucus. Choose Shapiro. Hugh Hewitt. Harris’ husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

Vance told reporters Tuesday morning that he left a voicemail for Walz. “I’m just saying, ‘Listen, congratulations. Expect a great conversation and enjoy the ride,'” Vance said. “Maybe he’ll call me back, maybe he won’t.”

Shapiro called Walz “an extraordinarily strong addition to the ticket” Tuesday morning.