Gov. Tim Walz (D., Minn.) speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul on January 5. Tim Evans/Reuters
Among the many questions that has lingered about the Kamala Harris presidential campaign is why she did not select a popular governor of a big swing state to serve as her running mate. Instead, Ms. Harris ended up choosing a polarizing leftist from a troubled Democratic enclave, Minnesota's Gov. Tim Walz. A forthcoming memoir from a popular swing-state governor is raising more questions. The answers may be elusive but it seems that Democrats' obsession with identity politics is as bad for their party as it is for the country.
On Sunday Katie Glueck reported for the New York Times on the new memoir from Gov. Josh Shapiro (D., Penn.):
But there seem to be plenty of anonymous sources who want to try to put this episode in a more Harris-friendly context by describing the vetting of Mr. Walz.
This is perhaps reassuring, especially given the falsehoods Mr. Walz has told about his visits to China and the fact that even his claims that appear to be true are just plain weird.
How on earth did Ms. Harris decide to select this incredible governor with the strange China history from a state she was supposed to win anyway and who was presiding over a jurisdiction where taxpayers were being defrauded on an astounding scale? Even if the media pack was largely ignoring the Minnesota mess, surely her "vetting team" must have noticed it.
This column understands that some readers may find it difficult to conceive of a Harris "vetting team" given that the former vice president is not exactly known for a fanatical commitment to research and preparation. But the team does seem to have existed, and after all the anonymous context about how this was just standard stuff to ask potential running mates if they had ever been foreign agents, perhaps the team will consider going on the record to answer a few questions. Perhaps they could start with this one:
Having reviewed the voluminous Walz record of misstatements, concerning foreign travels and dysfunctional governance, what exactly did they recommend to Kamala Harris?
Ultimately it was her call, and she seems to have made it due in part to the most superficial of reasons.
When will Democrats give themselves permission to treat people as individuals rather than members of racial or ethnic groups?
James Freeman is the co-author of "The Cost: Trump, China and American Revival" and also the co-author of "Borrowed Time: Two Centuries of Booms, Busts and Bailouts at Citi."
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