Exclusive: The third-ranking House Republican leader said Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s selection as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate is the best-case scenario Republicans could have hoped for.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), the highest-ranking Republican from Walz’s home state, spoke to Fox News Digital after Harris announced she would join Walz, a Midwestern progressive, as the Democratic nominee in November.
“This couldn’t be more contrasted with Donald Trump, who literally runs a business empire and is incredibly successful. These two people know nothing about management,” Emmer said. “And Tim Walz, I mean, he’s spent the last six years trying to turn Minnesota into Kamala Harris’ California. He’s a radical progressive.”
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Tom Emmer, the House Republican leader and the highest-ranking Minnesotan, criticized Vice President Kamala Harris’ pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. (Getty Images)
Harris met with Walz, Arizona Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to finalize her decision over the weekend, just over two weeks after President Biden withdrew from the race and Harris took over as his successor.
Emmer said Walz was “certainly” the best option for Republicans to challenge, while Shapiro was “clearly too fiscally conservative” for Harris.
“Governor Tim Walz has literally mismanaged our state from day one. Not only did he pick winners and losers by mishandling the pandemic situation, he allowed Minneapolis to burn because he wasn’t willing to deal with criminals,” Emmer said.
Walz has already been criticized for waiting too long to deploy the National Guard after Black Lives Matter protesters set public buildings on fire and clashed with police after the police killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020.
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Looters are taking items from a Target store after widespread rioting, looting and arson erupted in shopping and commercial districts in south Minneapolis over the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. (Scott Taxi/MediaNews Group/St. Paul Pioneer Press via Getty Images)
Emmer suggested Republicans would also likely attack Walz over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. During the pandemic, Walz was criticized by critics of his administration’s COVID-19 response for his indoor mask-wearing policy and the state’s hotline for reporting violations of the rules.
Emmer said Governor Walz’s push for electric vehicles in the state, including through the Clean Car Minnesota program, will be another point of focus for Republicans.
“This man has a far-left approach to energy and wants to destroy our efficient and abundant energy supply. He wants Minnesota to quickly become like California by eliminating gasoline-powered vehicles,” Emmer said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Harris’ campaign and the governor’s office for comment.
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Harris announced her nomination for Walz on Tuesday. (Alison Joyce/AFP via Getty Images)
Former President Trump seemed equally incensed by Harris’ decision, writing in capital letters on Truth Social shortly after the announcement was made official: “THANK YOU!”
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But leading Democrats have praised her as a choice for governor in the Midwest.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will lead America to a brighter future for everyone. Move forward!” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) wrote to X.
“I know Tim Walz very well. I served in the House. To describe him as left-wing is unrealistic. He’s very center-right. He’s a center-right Democrat,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on MSNBC.
