Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said the Democratic Socialists of America celebrated Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate because the Minnesota Democrat is "proud" to stand with "radical" antisemites and leftists.
"There's a reason the Democratic Socialists are celebrating him," Cruz said on his podcast "Verdict" Wednesday.
"There's a reason, within minutes of his being announced as VP, you know who tweeted out a tweet praising it? Ilhan Omar, with a picture of her next to him, saying what a fantastic choice this was. And listen, you know, she's from Minnesota. She represents the radicals in Minnesota. He's her governor, and they've been strong, strong allies. He's proud to stand with the radical antisemite, Israel-hating radical leftists like Ilhan Omar, and it says volumes."
Harris announced Walz as her running mate Tuesday morning, which was followed by praise from left-wing Congresswoman Omar. And the Democratic Socialists of America took a victory lap over the choice.
"Harris choosing Walz as a running mate has shown the world that DSA and our allies on the left are a force that cannot be ignored. Through collective action, DSA and the US left more broadly have made it clear that change is needed. DSA members organized in our workplaces and unions to realign the labor movement to support Palestinian liberation," Democratic Socialists of America, the largest socialist group in the U.S., posted to X Tuesday.
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DSA took credit for pressuring Democrats to allegedly snub other candidates in the running, including one "with direct ties to the IDF." Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was reportedly one of the top contenders on Harris' list of potential veeps and was a volunteer in the IDF in his youth. The DSA has blamed Israel for Hamas attacking the nation in October, which sparked an ongoing war.
"The Uncommitted movement, in which DSA members played crucial roles nationally and in multiple states, pressured the Democratic establishment into choosing a new candidate and backing down from a potential VP with direct ties to the IDF and who would have ferociously supported the ongoing genocide in Palestine," the DSA continued in its X thread.
Cruz continued in his comments that the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party didn't force Harris into choosing Walz as her running mate, arguing that they hold similar "radical" views.
"It's not that Kamala Harris picked Tim Walz because she was bullied into it by the left wing. It's because she picked Tim Walz because that's who she is," he said.
"She's a radical leftist. As you know, there was one nonpartisan source that rated her … the single most liberal senator in the entire U.S. Senate, and (Walz), likewise, he is one of, if not the most liberal governor in the entire country. And I think this is birds of a feather, that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and Ilhan Omar, they agree with each other. They’re radicals."
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Harris became the official presidential nominee for the Democratic Party Monday. She rose to the top of the ticket after President Biden dropped out of the race last month amid mounting concerns among Democrats and Republicans over his mental acuity at age 81. Biden has vowed to finish his remaining months in office after ending his re-election bid.
