From Manchin to Ocasio-Cortez, Democrats quickly close ranks around Walz

Vice President Harris announced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Tuesday following a whirlwind process kicked off by President Biden leaving the presidential race only a few weeks ago.

Democrats from all ends of the party’s spectrum have speedily coalesced around Walz as the pick, from members of the “squad,” including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), to more moderate figures like Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.). 

“Governor Tim Walz has been a longtime champion for ending child poverty,” Bennet said Tuesday in a post on the social platform X. “Together, we can send him and VP Harris to the White House and build an economy that when it grows, grows for everyone, not just the people at the top.”

Even former Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) praised the pick, saying in a statement that Walz “will bring normality back to the most chaotic political environment that most of us have ever seen.”

“Dems in disconcerting levels of array,” Ocasio-Cortez quipped in a post Tuesday on X.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” Tuesday that the Minnesota governor “is wonderful.”

“He’s right down the middle,” Pelosi said. “He’s … a heartland of America Democrat.”

The pick follows recent strife in the party over who would get the running mate role. Progressives advocated against having Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro alongside Harris on the Democratic ticket over issues like his previous position on school vouchers and his stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Progressives faced pushback from those in Congress aligned with the Pennsylvania governor for their advocacy against Shapiro for the role, especially from Jewish lawmakers who said they hadn’t correctly presented his stance on the Israel-Hamas war and were leaning toward antisemitism.

“Josh’s position on Israel is almost identical to everybody else, but he’s being held to a different standard. So you have to ask yourself why,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) previously said.

Shapiro and others who were considered to be in the running for the vice presidential slot like Sen. Mark Kelly (Ariz.) and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear also quickly backed Walz.

“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support – and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” Shapiro said in a statement.