Kamala Harris and Tim Walz heat up campaign rally in Philadelphia
Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris introduces her vice presidential candidate Tim Walz during a campaign rally in Philadelphia.
Newly elected Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, currently governor of Minnesota, has rarely agreed with the public policies of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Walz, who was named Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate on Monday, had called the culture war in Florida “ridiculous” and frequently mocked DeSantis’ claims about the “free state of liberty.”
“I’ve seen some of these other governors on TV – they find a lot of time to be on TV – and they always talk about ‘freedom,'” Walz said during his State of the State address to the Minnesota Legislature last April. “But it turns out what they mean by that is that the government should have the freedom to invade your bedroom, your children’s dressing room, your doctor’s office.”
DeSantis hit back hard on the day of the announcement. “Harris-Walz: the most left-wing platform in American history,” he posted on Tuesday on X, formerly Twitter. “Minnesota was ground zero of the 2020 BLM riots. Harris incited them and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn.” The governor reiterated this accusation during a press conference on Wednesday.
On Tuesday night, after a triumphant and loud debut before a cheering crowd of about 14,000 in Philadelphia, DeSantis appeared on Fox to tell host Sean Hannity, “I saw his speech and this guy is a crook,” and criticized Walz’s actions to curb the spread of COVID and provide feminine hygiene products in all school bathrooms. (The word “crook” is often a derogatory term for lawyers, but has also been used as an anti-Semitic slur.)
DeSantis and Walz were both previously members of the U.S. House of Representatives and their terms overlapped. How did this come about?
Walz and DeSantis in Congress at the same time
Walz’s first political position was representing Minnesota’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years from 2007 to 2019.
DeSantis, also new to politics, represented Florida’s 6th District for five years, from 2013 to 2018. Did the two ever come into contact?
Not really. According to Politico, they never served on any committees together, nor was Walz a co-signer of any of the 40 bills or resolutions DeSantis introduced during his time in the House.
The men co-sponsored numerous bills, all of which received broad bipartisan support and on which they served as two of many other legislators.
DeSantis and Walz were co-initiators of several bills in Congress
Some examples:
HR 184 – Medical Innovation Protection Act of 2018: The excise tax on the sale of medical devices was repealed. There were 279 co-signatories. Passed in the House of Representatives by a vote of 283 to 132.
HR 820 – Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act of 2017: Offers several opportunities to expand research opportunities in the fight against childhood cancer. There were 371 co-signatories. The proposal was rejected in committee.
HR 846 – Military Spouse Equality Act, 2017: Extended benefits for members of the armed forces who die in the line of duty. There were 271 co-signatories. The proposal was rejected in committee.
HR930 – Lymphedema Treatment Act: Amends Medicare to cover certain treatment items for lymphedema compression. There were 385 co-sponsors. The proposal was rejected in committee.
HR1116 – Low Operational Risk Institutions Act of 2017: The TAILOR Act required federal financial regulation agencies to consider, among other things, the risk exposures and business models of companies affected by regulatory laws. There were 85 co-signatories. The law was passed by the House of Representatives.
HR 1698 – Iran Ballistic Missile and International Sanctions Enforcement Act: It states that it is US policy to prevent Iran from engaging in any activities related to nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. There were 393 co-signatories. The bill was passed by the House of Representatives.
HR 1994 – Animal Cruelty and Torture Prevention Act, 2017: Intentionally crushing animals or making videos about crushing animals was already illegal, but this bill provided criminal penalties. It also introduced exceptions for medical or scientific research, the need to save a person’s life or property, euthanasia, or unintentional acts. There were 283 co-signatories. The bill was rejected in committee.
HR 2740 – Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2017: Called for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Rabbi Michoel Ber Weissmandl in recognition of his bravery in World War II. There were 296 co-signatories. The motion was passed by the House of Representatives.
HR 3298 – Wounded Officers Compensation Act of 2017: Authorized funds from the U.S. Capitol Police Memorial Fund for U.S. Capitol Police personnel killed in the line of duty or their families. There were 128 co-signatories. It became law.
