Political strategists from both parties say the Harris campaign did not adequately prepare for potential attacks on her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“The story about Waltz’s military record is clearly a failed attempt at ‘reverse’ opposition research by the Harris campaign,” Democratic strategist Julian Epstein told Fox News Digital.
The comments come amid ongoing scrutiny over Walz’s military record, with critics accusing the vice presidential nominee of making misleading statements about his own military history as “stolen heroism.”
Critics say Walz’s language in describing his time in the military is misleading, including when he said he wanted to ban the types of weapons he “carried in war,” even though he never deployed to a combat zone during his 24 years of service.
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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke to reporters after meeting with President Biden at the White House on July 3, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In response to the controversy, Harris’ campaign argued that Waltz’s infamous “carried to war” comment was a “gaffe.”
“The Governor has misled people when it comes to making the case for why weapons of war should not be on our streets or in our classrooms,” campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt told the outlet. “The Governor has handled weapons of war and strongly believes they should only be handled by military personnel trained to carry them, unlike Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, who put the gun lobby over children.”
But it wasn’t just the “went to war” comment that raised eyebrows. Critics called Waltz’s boast misleading, saying the troops were deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) when in fact they were deployed to Italy, not Afghanistan.
In another example, Walz spoke on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, recalling his time in the National Guard, claiming that he “stood in the dark all night at Bagram Air Base” to watch a ceremony to remove soldiers’ bodies.
Walz went to Afghanistan while in Congress, but he was not deployed there as part of his military service.
Meanwhile, some former members of Walz’s unit have accused the Minnesota governor of abandoning his troops and retiring to avoid plans to deploy to Iraq.
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“He has resigned at the request of the people. He failed to complete the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy. He failed to serve two years after completing the academy and then dropped out of the academy. He failed to serve two years after his conditional promotion to master sergeant. He failed to complete the six-year enlistment he signed on September 18, 2001. He has let down his country. He has let down his state. He has let down the Minnesota Army National Guard, 1-125th Field Artillery Battalion and his fellow Soldiers. And he has failed to lead by example. It is shameful,” said an open letter that resurfaced this year and was written by two former members of Walz’s unit before he ran for governor in 2018.
Waltz has also faced accusations of misleading statements about his rank, saying on multiple occasions that he retired as a master sergeant — a rank he earned and served at but did not retire from because he decided not to complete the courses required to maintain his rank.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event in Detroit on August 7, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
The claim that Waltz was a “retired master sergeant” was also posted on the Harris campaign website, but was later changed to say he “served” as a master sergeant.
Republican strategist David Polyansky told Fox News Digital that the oversight was an example of a campaign failure that doesn’t typically overlook such “weaknesses.”
“I think this is simply a case of abbreviated procedures,” Polyansky said, referring to the short period between Harris’ elevation to the top of the shortlist and the selection of her running mate, “but really it’s one of two things: either they missed some of the potential weaknesses in their interviews and research of Harris, or they knew about them but failed to adequately prepare for the messaging offensive that was about to begin.”
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“Either way, the Trump administration has been put in a tough position by its selection of a vice president and has been put on the defensive by the selection of a running mate who was meant to instantly energize the administration,” Polyansky added.
Whether Walz’s military record remains an issue for the Harris campaign will depend in large part on former President Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who served in Iraq and is “pleased” with his military record, Polyansky said.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (Getty Images)
“You will see [Walz] “Harris has to go on stage and debate someone who is pretty confident and comfortable with her military record,” Polyansky said. “I don’t think that’s going to be the ultimate deciding factor for most voters, but the attention it will bring in terms of media coverage could have a little bit of a negative impact on Kamala Harris’ decision.”
While Epstein agreed that Democrats mistakenly overlooked potential controversies about Walz’s record, he argued that Republicans would be better off avoiding a “retaliation” campaign and instead focusing on Harris’ record.
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“Above all, Democrats want to forget about the Biden/Harris record of the past four years,” Epstein said. “They want to forget about Harris’ far-left views from just five years ago.”
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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