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Join Telegram ChannelVice President Kamala Harris' decision to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate has drawn mixed reactions from Jewish organizations.
“This is the same man who said, 'One man's socialism is another man's good neighborliness.' Seriously?” reads an article published Tuesday by the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC).
The release follows Harris' highly anticipated decision to choose Walz after weeks of speculation about several potential candidates.
Harris' decision was reportedly made by Walz and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a popular governor in a swing state critical to the vice president's chances of emerging with 270 electoral votes in November.
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Minnesota Governor 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 choose Walz over Shapiro, the only Jewish candidate under consideration, also sparked widespread speculation that the vice president was being pushed by Democratic Party members more sympathetic to Palestinians as Israel’s war in Gaza continues. Others criticized the “No Genocide Josh” campaign for pressuring Harris, saying the resistance to the Pennsylvania governor had an “anti-Semitic undertone.”
“Those on the very connected left who attack Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they attack the positions of non-Jewish candidates for vice president are only exposing themselves,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Massachusetts, told CNN on Monday.
“There’s a strong undercurrent of anti-Semitism in all of this,” he continued. “It’s unacceptable. Every candidate’s positions on every policy issue, their track record as elected officials, all of that is legitimate. All of that can be subject to questioning and interrogation by Harris’ team, by observers, but to hold him to a different standard because of his religion is just not who we are in the Democratic Party.”
Harris' choice of Shapiro also comes as some Israel supporters worry that the vice president's support for the Jewish state has waned in recent months, noting that she was the first administration official to call for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and her reportedly difficult relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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The RJC statement also alluded to these concerns, noting that Harris’ choice of Walz is “particularly concerning to the American Jewish community” because of his “support” for Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, whom the RJC called “the most vicious, anti-Israel and anti-Semitic member of Congress.”
“This is the same shameful Ilhan Omar who spread anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, falsely accused Israel of genocide and apartheid, and voted against funding 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, anti-Semitic member of Congress.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
But other Jewish organizations have a more optimistic view of Harris' choice, with the Jewish Democratic Council for America (JDCA) welcoming the pick.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz align with the vast majority of Jewish voters on every key issue, and we are confident that the overwhelming support of American Jewish voters will be the difference in securing their victory in November,” JDCA CEO Halie Soifer said in a press release.
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“Vice President Harris made an exceptional choice in selecting Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. We deeply admire Governor Walz’s passionate defense of our values, including reproductive rights and defending our democracy, especially as both are under attack by MAGA Republicans led by Donald Trump,” added JDCA President 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 are confident that he and Vice President Harris will do so again in November with the strong support of American Jewish voters.”
The move was also praised by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, an organization that describes itself as “building a multiracial, multiethnic, and intergenerational movement of Jews and allies across the country who are rising up to build an American future free from white supremacy, anti-Semitism, and racism.”
Governor Tim Walz arrives to speak at a news conference on August 1, 2024, in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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“By choosing Walz, a governor who has broken records by investing in public education, infrastructure, paid leave, free college, and reducing child and senior poverty, Harris sent a clear message to voters: We are confronting those who threaten our safety and freedom for an economy of fear and division with those who have invested in them for an economy of care,” Jamie Beran, CEO of Bend the Arc, said in a press release.
The Harris campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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