South Florida Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones (L) and Central Florida U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost both celebrated the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. (Jones photo from Facebook; Frost photo by Caitlin Sause)
While Republicans in Florida and nationally are blasting Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her vice-presidential running mate, Democrats in the Sunshine State are celebrating the choice.
“They’re [the GOP] looking at Gov. Walz as a gift to the Republicans,” South Florida Democratic state Sen. Shevrin Jones told the Phoenix in a phone interview, speaking about GOP critics who are labeling the Harris-Walz ticket as far left. “I think he’s actually a gift for the American people.”
Republicans, Jones said, “don’t believe that the American people are smart and that they’re still caught up in the culture wars that they want to push. Unfortunately for them, those things have not and will not work.”
Jones noted that Walz is a veteran, a former high school teacher and someone who’s passed legislation to help American families, “all the things that the GOP says they support. Now they’re saying he’s part of the most liberal ticket in American history? It’s laughable to me.”
“He’s going to speak to an array of people, not just within the Midwest, but he’s going to speak to rural communities, he’s going to speak to working families, he’s going to speak to our union backers,” Jones said.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, praised Walz’ background before he began serving in public office.
“A former high school teacher who served in the National Guard is our candidate for VP of the United States,” she said on X. “If that’s not a testament to the American Dream, I don’t know what is. Together, we’re going to protect the freedoms and opportunities our working class relies on.”
South Florida U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz posted a photo of herself with Walz on X and noted that they served 12 years together in Congress. “This smart, big-hearted warrior for American families and values will be an amazing VP for Madame President.”
“I got to know Gov. Tim Walz when he served in Congress for many years, and I can tell you that he is a capable, honest, and tested leader. Everyone in Congress admires and trusts him,” added South Florida U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.
“I can’t wait for the American people to learn how he is a champion for all Americans. From being a former public-school teacher like myself, to serving in the Army, advancing the interests of veterans in Congress, and delivering for the people of Minnesota as governor, I know he will deliver for all Americans as the next vice president of the United States, alongside the soon-to-be President, Kamala Harris.”
“I was elected with Tim Walz to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and served with him for 12 years,” said Tampa Bay Area Rep. Kathy Castor. “He is a fearless leader for veterans, students, teachers and military families. For a community like Tampa Bay that is rich with veterans and military families, Walz’s service as a Command Sergeant Major in the Army National Guard who went to college on the GI Bill will be inspiring. In fact, as a congressman, Walz led Democrats in Congress in passing the GI Bill for post 9/11service members and families into law.”
‘Let’s win this!’
“Dad, husband, veteran, teacher, HS football coach, Congressman, Governor and very soon…Vice President of the United States. @Tim_Walz knows what it means to show the people that government can work for them. LET’S WIN THIS!! #HarrisWalz2024,” Central Florida U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost wrote on X.
“During his time as an elected official, Tim Walz protected farmers, took action for veterans, capped the cost of insulin, fed hungry students, made streets safer, protected reproductive rights, and delivered the largest tax cut in Minnesota’s history — and he did that work through building consensus and reaching across the aisle to compromise, said Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried in a statement.
“Together, Vice President Harris and Governor Walz will stop Trump’s Project 2025 and cast a vision that moves America forward, not backward. Florida Democrats are fired up about the Harris-Walz ticket and we plan to ride the wave of enthusiasm all the way to November,” Fried added.
“Kamala Harris has made a great choice,” said Kristen Browde, president of the Florida LGBTQ+ Democratic Caucus. “She’s a prosecutor, Tim Walz is a teacher, and that’s a sharp contrast to the fiction writers on the other side.”
This story is courtesy of Florida Phoenix.
Florida Phoenix is a nonprofit news site, free of advertising and free to readers, covering state government and politics with a staff of five journalists located at the Florida Press Center in downtown Tallahassee. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
