Though Vice President Kamala Harris did not choose the regional favorite from Philadelphia’s suburbs as her running mate, state and local Democrats had nothing but compliments Tuesday for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The praise came ahead of a rally Tuesday evening at Temple University’s Liacouras Center, where Harris and Walz were expected to appear together for the first time.
“His track record as a legislator, and as governor, demonstrate his commitment to uplifting working parents, curtailing senseless gun violence, protecting women’s reproductive rights, and advancing racial justice for all,” City Council Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“What’s most impressive to me: he is an incredible husband, father, and football coach — he represents the best of our nation,” she added.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents a large swath of the city, referred to Walz as a longtime friend and “one of the nicest, most genuine people I know.”
“He was able to win a rural House seat that Trump won by 15 points,” Boyle said on social media. “Tim will be a big asset to the ticket.”
The Philadelphia and Pennsylvania Federation of Teachers said in a statement that members are “fired up” about a former teacher joining the Democratic ticket.
“Public educators in Pennsylvania were already all in for Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign,” Arthur Steinberg, president of both the state and city union, said. “Adding Governor Walz to the ticket bolsters the campaign’s ability to juice the Democratic base, persuade non-MAGA Republicans and independents, and thus decisively win the presidency.”
Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, who is running for reelection in November, said on social media that he is sure Harris and Walz are going to “run a winning campaign.”
His GOP opponent, businessman Dave McCormick, blasted Harris-Walz as “the most liberal presidential ticket in history,” adding, in an X post, that the pair are “on a warpath to destroy liberty, freedom, and the rule of law in our nation.”
Pennsylvania Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Republican, shared similar sentiments.
“Harris’s choice of Walz is already in lock step with her elitist, radical agenda which is out of touch with most Americans,” she said in a statement. “A Harris/Walz ticket is more California than Pennsylvania, and no guarantee for a Pennsylvania win this November.”
