Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to tap Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate elicited mixed reactions from Jewish organizations.
“This is the same guy who famously said, ‘One person’s socialism is another person’s neighborliness.’ Seriously?” read a X post by the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) on Tuesday.
The post came after Harris’ highly anticipated decision, choosing Walz after weeks of speculation about several potential candidates.
Harris’ decision reportedly came down to Walz and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a popular governor of a swing state vital to the vice president’s chance of emerging with 270 electoral votes in November.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to reporters after a meeting with President Biden at the White House on July 3, 2024. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
But Harris’ decision to pick Walz over Shapiro, the only Jewish candidate under consideration, also brought widespread speculation that the vice president was pressured by members of the Democratic Party more sympathetic to Palestinians as Israel’s war in Gaza continues. Others scolded the “No Genocide Josh” campaign to pressure Harris, arguing that the resistance to the Pennsylvania governor had an “undercurrent of antisemitism.”
“Those in the overly online left who are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they are attacking non-Jewish veep contenders’ positions, they’re just telling on themselves,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told CNN Monday.
“There is a strong undercurrent of antisemitism to that,” he continued. “It’s unacceptable. Every contender’s positions on all policy issues, their track records in elected office, all of that is fair game. That is totally open to be subjected to interrogation and to questioning by the Harris team, by observers, but holding him to a different standard because of his religion just simply isn’t who we are in the Democratic Party.”
Harris’ choice of Shapiro has also come as some supporters of Israel have worried that the vice president’s support of the Jewish state has waned in recent months, noting that she was the first administration official to call for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza and her reportedly rocky relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The RJC statement also hinted at those fears, pointing out that Harris’ choice of Walz is of “particular concern for the American Jewish community” because of his “embrace of” Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., whom the RJC has called “the most vicious anti-Israel and antisemitic Member of Congress.”
“This is the same disgraceful Ilhan Omar who has trafficked antisemitic conspiracy theories, falsely accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, and voted against funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system that is currently protecting countless innocent civilians in Israel from terrorist rockets,” the RJC said.
Rep. Ilhan Omar has been called “the most vicious anti-Israel and antisemitic Member of Congress.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
But other Jewish organizations had a more optimistic take on the Harris selection, with the Jewish Democratic Council for America (JDCA) praising the pick.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz align with the vast majority of Jewish voters on every key issue, and we’re confident that overwhelming support from Jewish American voters will make the difference in ensuring their victory in November,” JDCA CEO Halie Soifer said in a press release.
“Vice President Harris has made an exceptional choice by selecting Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. We deeply admire Gov. Walz’s impassioned defense of our values, including reproductive rights and defending our democracy, especially as they both are under attack by MAGA Republicans led by Donald Trump,” added JDCA Chair Ron Klein. “Having been elected at the same time and served in Congress with Tim Walz, I can attest to the fact that Tim. Walz has taken on Republican extremists before and won, and we’re confident that he and Vice President Harris will do so again this November with the strong support of Jewish American voters.”
The move was also lauded by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, an organization that describes itself as “building a multiracial, multiethnic, intergenerational movement of Jews and allies all across the country who are rising up to build an American future free from white supremacy, antisemitism, and racism.”
Gov. Tim Walz arrives to speak at a press conference on Aug. 1, 2024, in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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“By choosing Walz, a Governor who broke records investing in public education, infrastructure, paid leave, free college and cutting childhood and elder poverty, Harris sent a clear message to voters: we confront those threatening our safety and freedom for an economy of fear and division with those who invested in them for a care economy,” Bend the Arc CEO Jamie Beran said in a press release.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.