Former Vice President Mike Pence’s think tank issued a statement strongly criticizing Gov. Tim Walz’s position as a Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election.
Advancing American Freedom, a policy institute that Pence founded after serving as vice president under former President Donald Trump, released a memo Wednesday outlining what the organization called Walz’s “radical record.”
“Governor Walz is a staunch leftist with the support of Ilhan Omar’s growing faction of the Democratic Party and is a fantastic choice for Vice President Kamala Harris,” AAF Executive Director Paul Tellers told Fox News Digital.
Former Minnesota Republican Governor sums up Tim Walz’s VP nomination as “Bernie Sanders in hunting gear”
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speak at a campaign rally in Philadelphia, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Matt Luke)
The memo calls Waltz “[fanning] During the 2020 unrest in Minnesota, fueled by the Black Lives Matter riots, the state became the “murder capital of the nation” with a 50% increase in murder rates.[cutting] Financial Assistance for Pregnant Women” and “[pushing] “Abortion on demand”
The think tank also slammed Governor Walz for turning Minnesota into a “trans refugee state” and “signing a bill that allows minor children to be removed from their parents if their parents do not support them undergoing what are described as life-changing surgeries and medical procedures.”
The selection of Waltz, 60, was not a surprise because his name had been thought of as a possible candidate for two weeks after Harris replaced President Biden as the party’s chair.
Walz’s response to Black Lives Matter riots and strict coronavirus measures come under scrutiny after Harris is selected as vice president
Then-Vice President Mike Pence and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz spoke to reporters after Pence visited 3M’s headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota. (Glenn Stubb/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Former Congressman Waltz said: Governor of MinnesotaIt’s a state that Democrats have reliably won presidential elections in for decades, but the Trump campaign is aiming to upend the election cycle.
The memo touches on some of the common criticisms leveled at the Democratic vice presidential nominee, including the worsening border crisis due to sanctuary laws and his treatment of religious institutions during COVID-19 lockdowns.
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Then-Vice President Mike Pence visited Rock Springs Church in Milner, Georgia, to campaign for a Republican senatorial candidate. (Megan Varner/Getty Images)
Pence has largely stayed out of the 2024 presidential race since withdrawing late last year.
He previously refused to endorse his former partner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, while also making it clear earlier this year that he would never support Biden’s reelection campaign.
The vice president’s think tank has launched a “Biden-Harris Accountability Tracker” on its website, which catalogs the administration’s policies and provides examples of the negative consequences they have resulted from.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.
