GOP anxieties ease with Walz as Harris’s VP choice

Republicans are breathing a sigh of relief in response to Vice President Harris choosing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to be her running mate. 

In the run-up to Harris’s decision, Republicans had expressed anxiety over the possibility of her choosing Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), pointing to his record of winning statewide in the critical battleground and moderate record as governor. 

But with Walz at the top of the ticket, Republicans are already targeting his progressive record and doubting he will be much help in appealing to swing voters in battleground states. 

“Tim Walz? What a relief,” Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to former President Trump, posted on the social X.

Trump donor Dan Eberhart echoed that sentiment in a text message following the announcement. 

“I am relieved!” Eberhart wrote. “Shapiro would have been more tactical,” he added. 

One national GOP operative claimed “the collective GOP sigh of relief could blow over a house made of straw.”

Harris over the weekend interviewed Walz, Shapiro and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Kelly, who hails from a border state and a swing state, was also viewed as a potentially strong choice to undercut GOP attacks on immigration.

But some Republicans were particularly surprised Walz was the pick over Shapiro, the first-term governor of what is essentially a must-win state for the Harris campaign.

“No one’s voting for the VP, but I don’t think there’s any question that Shapiro could help her in Pennsylvania, and that’s obviously a critical state,”  said Sean Spicer, who served as Trump’s White House press secretary. 

Spicer cited the condensed timeline and lack of a competitive primary as reasons Harris might be more affected than normal by her choice of running mate.

“Normally VP’s don’t do anything. She’s in a very different place than a normal race. This is a very unique situation,” Spicer said.

Trump campaign officials and their allies wasted little time highlighting Walz’s support for gender-affirming care, legislation that allows Minnesotans in the country illegally to obtain a driver’s license and his handling of the demonstrations in the state following the murder of George Floyd in 2020.

In a statement to reporters Tuesday, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt labeled Walz a “radical leftist” and “West Coast wannabe.”

Republicans said they feared Shapiro because of his record of expanding the Democratic tent in battleground Pennsylvania, which will likely play a deciding role in the election. While Shapiro’s stock was once notably higher than Walz’s, it took a hit as progressive and pro-Palestinian activists launched a barrage of criticism against the governor. Republicans say the strategy played right into their hands.

“Republicans feel they dodged a bullet by Harris not picking Shapiro,” GOP strategist Ford O’Connell said. “It’s clear that Harris is far more concerned with locking down the progressive antisemitic vote than winning over the independents who will decide this race.”

Strategists viewed Shapiro as a particularly strong potential running mate because Harris’s path to 270 Electoral College votes is especially narrow if she doesn’t carry Pennsylvania.

Shapiro won the governor’s race in 2022 with roughly 57 percent of the vote, and he improved on President Biden’s margins from 2020 in virtually every corner of the commonwealth.

And while Trump’s vice presidential pick of Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) could not be farther apart from Walz politically, some Republicans say Harris and Trump have a similar vice presidential strategy in choosing running mates that align closely with their respective bases.

“What Kamala did was almost what Donald Trump did, which was pick the person the base supported the most ,” Republican strategist Erin Perrine said. “JD is now the future of the MAGA movement. Tim Walz is a very progressive governor with a record to match.” 

There are still signs that Walz could be a formidable running mate for Harris that Republicans will have to contend with. 

He is well-liked among his former colleagues on Capitol Hill, his rural, Midwestern upbringing will likely give him credibility with voters in the Blue Wall states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and he’s a strong messenger, as evidenced by his viral branding of the Trump/Vance ticket as “weird.”

“He is the perfect complement to the VP,” former Obama spokesperson Eric Schultz said. “We now have a ticket that hails from urban and rural areas. Represented a red district in Congress, has wide appeal in the midwest, and strong record of working w/ Republicans to get things done. He’s as likable and relatable as they come.”

Republicans are also taking note of Walz’s affable nature, saying there is potential for it to play well with persuadable voters. 

“If the election turns out to be about policy, I think it’s a great pick for the Republicans,” said Trump’s former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, who served with Walz in Congress. “It’s going to be easy to paint Harris and Walz as progressives who are out of touch with mainstream America, and that might be where the deciding votes are left to be found.”

“All of that being said, I’m not sure that swing voters, people who are still undecided vote on policy. I think they might vote on personality,” Mulvaney continued. “If they do that, that’s going to be a great pick for the Democrats, because Tim’s just a really nice agreeable guy that people like.”