Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) responded to Republican critics who called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D-Calif.), Harris’ announced running mate, “far-left,” by saying he was “very center-right.”
Her comments came as some on the right criticized Harris for choosing Walz over the other candidate, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D), who is Jewish.
“Tim Walz is great. She had a lot of good choices among the six and especially among the two. I’m a big fan of Governor Shapiro,” Pelosi said Tuesday on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “I know Tim Walz very well. He was a congressman. To describe him as a leftist is very unrealistic.”
“He’s very much a centrist, center-America Democrat,” she added.
Harris’ praise for the Minnesota governor came shortly after she announced Walz as her running mate as she prepares to face former President Trump in November.
Harris praised Walz’s support for middle-class families and his record of service in the National Guard and as a teacher.
The Trump campaign was quick to denounce the choice, calling Waltz a “West Coast impersonator.”
“It’s no surprise that San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris wants West Coast wannabe Tim Walz as her running mate, after all, during his time as governor he has tried to remake Minnesota in the image of the Golden State,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said in a statement.
Walz, who leads a heavily Democratic state, emerged as a dark horse candidate and attracted national attention by describing the former president and vice presidential nominee, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), as “clumsy.”
Pelosi noted that Walz served in the House for 12 years, ultimately becoming the ranking Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“I don’t want anyone to forget that because of the tremendous progress he’s made working with the members of the Appropriations Committee and the Speaker of the House, we’ve made more progress for our veterans than we’ve ever made in the history of our country since the VETERANS ACT was enacted under his leadership,” she said.
Pelosi noted Walz’s service in the National Guard and argued that he has “national security credentials” and “local credentials.”
“So it’s really puzzling to see someone that I’ve worked with, who is, so to speak, in the middle, being characterized as left-wing in this regard,” the former speaker said.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for further comment.
