By Samuel Short October 11, 2024 at 10:06am
Among the many blunders Vice President Kamala Harris has made since launching her campaign for the presidency, the choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate is shaping up to be one of the worst.
With both Harris and Walz doing more rounds with the media as the Nov. 5 Election Day is just weeks away, Walz sat down for an interview with ABC’s Michael Strahan in a clip posted to the social media platform X on Thursday where Walz seems to stumble when it comes to his own campaign’s position on the Electoral College.
CNN reports the full interview will be released Friday as this is only a 43-second exchange in what was probably a painful conversation for the governor to get through.
ABC: You said you think the Electoral College should be abolished.
WALZ: “Well it’s not the campaign’s position.”
ABC: So… that’s something you and Kamala disagree on?
WALZ: “Umm… the campaign and my position is the campaign position.”
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) October 11, 2024
Strahan’s question comes after remarks Walz made at a fundraiser Tuesday in Sacramento, California, about doing away with the Electoral College.
While not a particularly novel position for a Democrat who wishes to destroy one of the great power-balancing features of the Constitution and disempower millions of Americans living outside deep blue urban areas, it was one Strahan sought clarification on considering a later statement by a Harriz-Walz campaign representative.
Strahan began by quoting Walz on the issue before stating what the Harris’ campaign said.
“You said, ‘I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go,’ but the campaign came out later that night and they said that’s not their stance,” Strahan said.
Is Tim Walz worthy of being VP?
Walz responded with the kind of confused answer that got him humiliated on stage during his Oct. debate with Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance
“Well, it’s not the campaign’s position,” he said. “And the point I’m trying to make is there’s folks that feel every vote must count in every state. And I think some of folks feel that’s not the case.
“Our campaign does that. And the point I’m saying is, I’m in five states in two days. We’re out there making the case.
“The campaign’s position is clear that that’s not their position. Their position and my position is to make sure everybody understands, no matter what state they’re in, matters.”
Strahan’s follow-up question was understandably looking for clarification, as anyone hearing this would be totally confused.
“So, that’s something that you and Vice President Harris disagree on?”
Clearly panicked, Walz managed to respond with, “my position is the campaign’s position.”
CNN did report that a campaign official for Harris stated on Tuesday that abolishing the Electoral College is not an official campaign position.
However, it’s difficult to determine exactly what the official campaign position on the Electoral College is. The campaign’s official website includes no mention of it, and Harris herself, back in 2019, said she was “open” to the idea of abolishing the Electoral College, according to Fox News.
“There’s no question that the popular vote has been diminished in terms of making the final decision about who’s the president of the United States and we need to deal with that, so I’m open to the discussion,” Harris told late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
So, either Strahan’s gently probing questions forced a panicked Walz to scramble for a way to make his own statements match that of the campaign he’s supposed to be representing, or Walz inadvertently tipped off American voters to the fact that the Harris campaign does support abolishing the Electoral College and that her campaign simply isn’t admitting it with a public position.
Either way, it’s proving one point beyond doubt: Tim Walz was a lousy selection for the job.
Sam Short is an Instructor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London.
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