Hot dish 08.07.24

By Ryan Faircloth

What a week it’s already been. The newly minted Kamala Harris-Tim Walz presidential ticket made its debut in front of thousands of people in Philadelphia on Tuesday. My colleague Sydney Kashiwagi was there and has the story. As Harris introduced the Minnesota governor to the lively crowd, she emphasized Walz’s everyman qualities as a former teacher, football coach and soldier. Harris proudly touted that Walz is a gun owner and great marksman who believes there should be gun control reforms. The campaign is already selling Harris-Walz camo hats.

“Coach Walz and I may hail from different corners of our great country, but our values are the same: We both believe in lifting people up, not knocking them down,” Harris said, as Walz smiled behind her and looked around in awe at the packed arena.

Walz spoke extensively after Harris, talking about everything from his willingness to work with Republicans in Congress to his family’s journey with in-vitro fertilization (IVF). He slammed former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, saying, “I can’t wait to debate the guy.”

“That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up,” Walz said, drawing thunderous laughter and applause from those who caught the reference.

Some Harris supporters in Pennsylvania were impressed with Walz, even though they said their Gov. Josh Shapiro would have been their first choice.

“He seems like he’s really grounded, has been grounded in the community, and has that point of view,” said Rasheeda King of Abington, a longtime former teacher who likes that Walz spent time teaching and coaching. “He will be able to relate and to, I guess, kind of be a liaison for the regular person.”

For more details about Walz’s political ascent, check out my colleague Briana Bierschbach’s extensive story on the governor’s elevation to the presidential ticket.

KAMALA CALL: The Harris campaign posted a video Tuesday showing the vice president calling Walz to offer him the job.

“Listen, I want you to do this with me. Let’s do this together. Would you be my running mate and let’s get this thing on the road?” Harris said.

“I would be honored, madam vice president. The joy that you’re bringing back to the country, the enthusiasm that’s out there, it’ll be a privilege to take this with you across the country,” Walz responded, taking the call wearing a black T-shirt and camouflage hat from his St. Paul home.

“We’re going to win and we’re going to unify our country,” Harris tells him. “Let’s do it,” Walz responds.

REPUBLICAN RESPONSE: Republicans nationwide zeroed in on Walz after Harris announced him as her running mate on Tuesday, swiftly attacking him for how he handled the riots that engulfed Minneapolis after the murder of George Floyd. Many Republicans appeared relieved that Harris didn’t choose Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro, who could have given her a boost in the battleground state.

“Rioters burned Minneapolis to the ground for days. Tim Walz was nowhere to be found,” the Trump campaign posted on X Tuesday morning.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis chimed in with a similar jab about the riots, saying, “Harris egged it on and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.”

Expect to hear much more of that criticism in the coming months. The Trump campaign and other Republicans were already criticizing Harris for urging donations to a Minnesota-based bail fund for those arrested in the Floyd protests. Walz will now be under more intense scrutiny for his handling of the riots.

“They make an interesting tag team, because of course, Tim Walz allowed rioters to burn down Minneapolis in the summer of 2020. And then the few who got caught, Kamala Harris helped bail them out of jail,” Vance told Fox News on Tuesday.

My colleague Rochelle Olson and I wrote about these attacks and looked at other vulnerabilities that Walz has on the national ticket, such as his pandemic response and fraud that occurred under his administration.

In Mankato, where Walz once lived and taught high school, people were buzzing Tuesday about the governor’s ascent to the national ticket. My colleagues Trey Mewes and Jp Lawrence spoke to those who know Walz about his political rise.

FARMFEST: Minnesota politicians and their challengers talked agriculture policy on the opening day of Farmfest on Tuesday, my colleague Christopher Vondracek reports. Candidates railed against regulations in both Washington, D.C., and California that are affecting the profitability of family farms.

There was some sparring across party lines. Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig slammed Republicans in Congress for pushing a version of a farm bill that doesn’t have enough support to pass.

“We’ve passed 25 post office names since the farm bill passed out of Ag [Committee],” Craig said. “If we had the votes on the House floor, they’d have it there.”

GOP House Majority Whip Tom Emmer had an exchange with Eight District DFL candidate Jen Schultz, who criticized Republicans for the collapse of a border security bill earlier this year. Emmer accused Schultz of making an “ignorant or dishonest statement” and told her to “get [her] facts straight on that.”

WHERE’S WALZ: Walz has no events on his official schedule today. On the campaign side, he and Harris will hold a rally in Eau Claire. I’ll be there along with colleagues Katie Galioto and Anna Colletto, so watch for our story later today. Here’s an early version.

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