Former Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R) has criticized Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), who served as Kamala Harris’s running mate, for being “terrible in crisis.” In an interview with Fox News, Gazelka expressed concerns about Walz’s potential election as vice president, stating that he is “terrible in a crisis” and not cautious when it comes to spending money.
Gazelka recalled his experience working with Walz and highlighted the governor’s failure to respond to the riots in Minneapolis following George Floyd’s death on May 25, 2020. Mayor Jacob Frey had requested the National Guard’s assistance during the chaos but was met with silence from Walz, who failed to take action.
Walz has also been criticized for exaggerating his military rank in his official biography, which initially implied that he had retired as a command sergeant major (E-9) while serving in the National Guard. However, this information was later corrected by the Harris campaign to clarify that Walz had once served at that rank but did not retire with it.
In addition, Governor Walz has faced backlash for claiming in a video shared by Kamala HQ on Twitter that he had served in war. Although he had handled weapons of war during his time in the military, he had not seen combat. The Harris campaign issued a statement clarifying that Walz “misspoke” when making this claim.
Furthermore, reports have shown that Walz left the military before his unit deployed to Iraq, despite being aware of a possible mobilization of the Minnesota National Guard. These incidents have contributed to doubts about Walz’s leadership abilities and raised questions about his past claims related to his military service.