Mark Penn, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton, expressed disappointment Tuesday in Vice President Kamala Harris' choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, saying it signals the dominance of the “left” if she wins the election.
Waltz, who has a far-left track record on immigration and transgender policy, narrowly beat out Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who was rumored to be Harris's front-runner. Penn told “The Story with Martha McCollum” that choosing Waltz over Shapiro “sends a message that Harris is pandering to the Democratic base.” (RELATED: Harris once bragged about working “behind the scenes” to get transgender inmates sex-reassignment surgery)
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“I'm disappointed in the choice. I had suggested Josh Shapiro was the best choice for a number of reasons, but mainly ideologically Josh Shapiro really sets a signal that the left is not going to control the next administration and appeals to the center,” Penn said. “So I think Walz's choice of Bernie Sanders sends a message to his base that he's fully behind them. The two campaigns [Marco] They didn't choose candidates like the Rubios or Josh Shapiros, but instead chose to double down on their base and will be running their campaign that way.”
NBC's Chuck Todd said Tuesday he believes Harris chose Waltz because of a “progressive backlash” against Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly's selection as running mates. Anti-Israel Democratic activists, for example, criticized Shapiro's pro-Israel views.
“Nobody knows who he is. He has zero national name recognition, so no matter what the media says, we have no idea what this slate really means,” Penn added of Walz. “What we do know is that she had a choice. Choosing Shapiro would have won or lost the election, and we know she doubled her liberal base.”
“I don't think people are following the vice president that closely. I think they're looking at the overall picture and what message this selection sends,” he said. “And as I said, I think both candidates have doubled down on their bases here and decided not to move to the center, and of course that disappoints me.”
In July, Trump chose Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate, a move that pollster Frank Luntz said was a boost to his base.
“He chose to take a gamble. J.D. Vance is someone with a background that Trump has his eye on, so he can be trusted. And he has the language because that's how he grew up,” Luntz said. “To me, the most important demographic, the one that will make or break this, are the voters who make a living before payday. They have jobs, they're working, they're struggling even if they didn't have a college degree. And they make up a quarter of the American electorate. Typically, they vote Democrat over Republican by a 2-to-1 ratio. Trump pushed that closer to 3-to-2. If that demographic votes for Harris, she's the next president. If Trump can keep them, he's the next president.”
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