(The Center Square) – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ripped into the “failed policies” of Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., who Vice President Kamala Harris announced on Tuesday would be her running mate for the Democratic presidential ticket in November.
After giving a briefing on the state’s response to Hurricane Debby, DeSantis told reporters Tuesday, “We all remember the BLM riots of 2020 in Minneapolis. Those were riots that Harris egged on and raised money to bail out the rioters with the Minnesota bail fund. They're riots that Tim Waltz as governor sat back and let happen. He sat back and let the city of Minneapolis burn. That city has been gutted as a result of those riots.”
He also said the widespread arson and looting that continued under Walz would never happen under his watch. “We would never allow that to happen in the state of Florida,” he said. “This is a ticket that really represents the spirit of those 2020 BLM riots,” adding, “We do not need an America that represents the failed policies … of Minneapolis,” DeSantis said. “We do not need to see … cities burning down. That is not a prescription for America.”
At the time of the Black Lives Matter movement, Democratic-led cities began to defund their police departments in 2020 and 2021. As a result, residents “fled those jurisdictions and came to Florida,” he said, adding that “they would tell me about the mismanagement and about letting the inmates run the asylum … and how that just destroyed the quality of life.”
In response to the defund police movement, DeSantis spearheaded a police recruitment initiative, which has been popular among police officers who relocated to Florida leaving Democratic-run cities. So far, over 5,000 new recruits have joined Florida law enforcement agencies through the program, The Center Square reported.
“You were five times more likely to move from Minnesota to Florida than vice versa and that's a result of people fleeing those failed policies,” DeSantis said. “Why would we want that for the United States of America? Where are people going to flee” from a Harris-Walz administration, he asked. “We can't have everybody live in the state of Florida.”
Several members of Florida’s Republican congressional delegation also weighed in. U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, an Army veteran, criticized Walz in a series of social media posts, saying, “With Kamala Harris, every state is a border state. With Tim Walz, every state is in a state of emergency.
“Tim Walz was the governor of Minnesota who refused to crack down on rioters and looters in 2020. His weakness turned Minneapolis into a war zone. Of course, the Hamas Caucus is celebrating.”
Rep. Matt Gaetz agreed, saying, “Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are the yin and yang of political violence. Walz mobilizes leftist agitators and Kamala funds their bail. Americans deserve representatives who don’t want to burn the country to the ground.”
Mast also blasted Harris and Walz on the border, saying, “Kamala Harris doesn’t believe an ILLEGAL ALIEN is ILLEGAL. Tim Walz gave ILLEGAL ALIENS driver licenses as governor of Minnesota. The worst BORDER CZAR in U.S. history found her perfect partner.”
Raising other concerns, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds said it’s been over two weeks “since Democrat elites installed Kamala as their nominee. She's refused to do a single interview, speak without teleprompter, or lay-out an agenda.”
The reason why is because Harris and Walz “are a dangerously liberal ticket that will put the American people last at a time when the American people have already been left behind by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
What matters is their policy positions, he said. Based on that alone, “Harris-Walz will not fix our economy or inflation,” Donalds said. “Harris-Walz will not fix our border” or bring peace to the Middle East. “Harris-Walz will not project American strength.
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, Florida’s former governor agreed, saying, “Harris/Walz is the most radical ticket in U.S. history” citing their policies as examples. They include supporting the so-called “‘Green New Deal,’ open borders, defunding the police, men [performing] in women’s sports, destroying the middle class” and “the list goes on and on.”
Referring to Harris as the former attorney general and U.S. Senator from California, he said, Harris-Walz “are hellbent on bringing California socialism to every state, and we’re ready to fight like hell to stop them.”
He also posted a video of Walz, who served in the National Guard, expressing support for socialism. In a fundraising video, Walz said, “we can get out there, reach out, make the case. And for one thing don't ever shy away from our progressive values. One person’s socialism is another person's neighborliness.”
Scott said in response: “I’ve never met a veteran who fought for socialism.”
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