WASHINGTON (BP) — Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate in the November election. The announcement comes less than a day after Harris officially secured the nomination of the Democratic Party. President Joe Biden announced July 21 he would not seek re-election and endorsed Harris.
Walz called it “the honor of a lifetime” to join Harris on the ticket.
“I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible,” he said in a Facebook post.
In a statement to Baptist Press, Brent Leatherwood, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) president, said “there should be no doubt this is a markedly progressive ticket.”
“This choice by Vice President Harris signals she wanted a running mate that shares her ideological views and policy priorities. Governor Walz does just that,” Leatherwood said.
Walz, 60, a retired U.S. Army master sergeant, has served as governor of Minnesota since 2019. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2007 to 2019.
“If elected, a Harris-Walz Administration would push for the most extreme abortion agenda policies of any administration,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are both radically pro-abortion and see the lives of precious unborn babies as disposable inconveniences.”
Jeff Evans, CEO of the Minnesota Family Council, called the decision “troubling.”
“Right out of the gate, the Harris-Walz ticket is the most radical on abortion and gender ideology in American history,” Evans said.
“Instead of choosing a moderate VP nominee who could appeal to swing state voters, Vice President Harris doubled down and chose one of the most progressive governors in the country.”
Walz on abortion
According to the Washington Post, “After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Walz signed a bill protecting abortion as a state law in January 2023, making the state a hub for the procedure in the Midwest.”
In March, Harris became the first president or vice president to visit an abortion clinic. The clinic was located in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Walz on turmoil in the Middle East
Harris’ announcement came as rumors swirl that an Iran-led attack on Israel could happen at any time.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, after the deadly Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, Walz said, “We will continue to stand in solidarity with Minnesota’s Jewish and Israeli community and work with the State Department to ensure the safety of Minnesotans at home and abroad.”
The paper said he has condemned hostility toward Jewish college students and called for increased Holocaust education.
Walz on LGBTQ issues
In 2021, Walz signed an executive order banning conversion therapy for minors in Minnesota. According to pro-LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD, conversion therapy consists of “programs that claim to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.”
Then in 2023, the governor signed another order protecting seekers and providers of “gender-affirming health care.” The action was the latest in a long string of pro-LGBTQ stances.
According to The Hill, “In 1999, Walz, then a 35-year-old social studies teacher at Mankato West High School, advised the school’s first gay-straight alliance (GSA), a student-led club supporting LGBTQ students and families.”
Walz was also a proponent of repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in Congress in 2009 as an effort to lift any restrictions against individuals identifying as LGBTQ serving in the military.
Walz is expected to be officially elected as the Democratic VP candidate at the Democratic National Convention Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brandon Porter serves as associate vice president for convention news at the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.)
