Vice President Kamala Harris and her campaign are desperate to paint Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as a bad option for second in line to the presidency. That tactic might work if Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) did not have so much baggage.
Harris's running mate is a new face for most people. A recent Monmouth poll revealed that "one-third of voters have not heard of or have no opinion of Walz and about a quarter cannot rate Vance." For Walz, this is a good thing. His record as governor leaves much to be desired, and his accounts of his personal history span from questionable to outright false. Of the two vice presidential running mates, Walz is easily the one with more problems.
The Left is eager to paint Vance as extreme, and weird , especially regarding his views on abortion and how he talks of and relates to women. But Vance's stance on abortion is to leave it to the states, as the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision did. If anything, that's a bit too centrist for some on the Right.
During a recent interview with CNN's Dana Bash, Vance even explained his infamous "childless cat ladies" comments by saying Harris is "part of a set of ideas that exist in American leadership that is anti-family." Last week, a picture of a teenage Vance posing in a bathroom with female classmates made the rounds, but this is nothing of substance.
Meanwhile, Walz is more than tactless and embarrassing. He has some serious skeletons in his closet.
In 1995, Walz was arrested on drunk driving charges after going more than 40 mph over the 55 mph posted speed limit. Decades ago during his congressional campaign, the incident was downplayed as a supposed "misunderstanding."
The Harris campaign has yet to address the matter, but even CNN host Michael Smerconish said during a recent segment, "In the end, it's going to be about the top of the ticket. But to me, the DUI is bigger than the stolen valor allegation, not because of the drinking but because of the lie."
Speaking of stolen valor, on numerous occasions , Walz referred to himself as command sergeant major, though he did not retire at that rank. In a clip from his 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Walz "called a Muslim cleric who promoted a pro-Adolf Hitler film a 'master teacher,'" as first reported by the Washington Examiner. During his time as governor, Minnesota has "awarded over $2 million to an Islamic group that fundraises for a charity linked to an al Qaeda affiliate," the Washington Examiner reported.
Despite this, the Harris campaign is presenting Walz as a folksy Midwestern father who likes to hunt. The urge to present Walz as harmless is surely the inspiration behind the Harris-Walz camo hat, which is sold out .
Vance may hold opinions some voters oppose, but he doesn't have the weight of multiple personal lies and anti-American behavior sitting on his shoulders. Thanks to his history, Walz can't claim the moral high ground in other areas that truly matter.
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Perhaps the Harris campaign didn't know about these issues, but the more likely scenario is that it knew about Walz's past actions and statements but remains so consumed with beating former President Donald Trump that it doesn't care about them or believes they won't matter.
There is not long to go before Election Day on Nov. 5. Between now and then, the Harris-Walz team will claim Vance, like Trump, is an existential threat to the country. But in a comparison between both vice presidential selections, the facts easily put Vance on top.
Kimberly Ross ( @SouthernKeeks ) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential blog and a columnist at Arc Digital.
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