Tim Walz's mishandling of Covid and BLM riots resurface after getting picked as Harris' running mate

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA: The choice of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as a campaign mate by Vice President Kamala Harris brought attention back to the Democratic governor's management of the Covid-19 outbreak and major protests in the state.

"[H]e's been a disaster for Minnesota and is by far the most partisan governor that I can remember having," Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann told Fox News last week.

"Going back to 2020, certainly – he did nothing to try to stop the riots going on in Minneapolis. I think he was fearful of alienating his ‘progressive’ base, who were supporting the riots. Kamala Harris was raising money for the rioters," Hann added.

Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro were the final contenders in Kamala Harris' VP race

The remarks were made as Kamala Harris was deciding between Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Tim Walz for selecting her running partner. In the end, the vice president chose Walz because Democrats think he has the background and swing-state qualifications to advance the Harris ticket.

"Governor Walz has been a strong leader, a great partner with the [l]egislature," Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman told the outlet in a statement. "We worked together over the last two years on the most productive session in Minnesota in decades, passing policies that will help Minnesotans build better lives for themselves and their families."

Hortman added that "the last two years are a shining example that Tim Walz is good at working with strong women in full collaboration to get things done."

Critics however point to Tim Walz's 2021 memorandum

Critics, meanwhile, pointed to Tim Walz's decree, which he implemented in 2020 and terminated in 2021, requiring indoor masking during the coronavirus outbreak. Despite the Upper Midwest Law Center's lawsuit, which claimed the mandate was illegal, Walz was ultimately supported by an appeal court.

Additionally, Walz established a hotline for homeowners to report infractions of Covid-19 rules, as previously reported by Fox 9 Minneapolis.

The Republican majority leader in the state Senate, Paul Gazelka, urged Walz to "please take [the] Hotline down" in a post following its establishment, referring to the action as "unnecessary."

"We can all show a bit of kindness to our neighbors as we manage our times and needs differently in the stay at home efforts," the state senator said at the time.

Paul Gazelka notes Tim Walz's delay in dispatching guards during riots after George Floyd's death

Paul Gazelka also brought up Tim Walz's failure to send the National Guard to Minneapolis promptly after George Floyd's murder in May 2020, which precipitated unrest in the city's downtown.

"I called the White House after 4 days of unbridled rioting with the Governor frozen on what to do," Gazelka wrote on X on Sunday, July 28. "I know that Gov Walz and Pres[ident] Trump talked. I know Walz finally brought the Guard out in full for the next night. But Walz was 3 days too late. Pressure may have made him move."

Hann similarly said Walz "waited for three days before he could bring himself to ask for the National Guard to be deployed." He also pointed to the "defund" police movement's roots in Minnesota following Floyd's murder and subsequent rioting in the Twin Cities.

Several businesses across Minneapolis and St Paul were devastated for Tim Walz's delayed action

Due to the inaction, hundreds of businesses in Minneapolis and St Paul suffered severe damage and were forced to seek assistance from their local government to recover, on top of the losses incurred due to pandemic-related closures.

Kamala Harris herself faced criticism at that time

At the same time, Kamala Harris came under fire, most famously for a tweet she sent out urging her followers to contribute to a bail fund that assisted in releasing state protesters from jail.

"If you're able to, chip in now to the @MNFreedomFund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota," Harris said at the time.

That fact didn't go unnoticed by critics such as Florida Gov Ron DeSantis, who called the Harris-Walz team the "most left-wing ticket in American history."

"Minnesota was ground zero for the BLM riots of 2020," the Republican governor said on X shortly after news of Harris' pick was revealed. "Harris egged it on and Walz sat by and let Minneapolis burn."

Tim Walz also faced accusations of breaking his own Covid order

Moreover, Tim Walz was accused of violating his own Covid-19 order when he went to George Floyd's memorial ceremony, which, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press at the time, had too many people gathered too closely together to be compliant with the regulations the governor was promoting.

The governor continued, admitting that the service had violated the law, but claimed the gathering was necessary to promote "healing" within the community.

"Denying that to happen as a healing on a broader, societal well-being, I don’t think would have been a good decision, but we probably could have done a little better as far as social distancing," he said at the time.

Republicans kept hurling criticisms at Tim Walz after Covid-19

As Walz concluded his State of the State speech in March, he called Minnesota the "best state in the country for a kid to grow up."

According to The Pioneer Press, he outlined his objectives for increasing money for education, mandating "100%" sustainable energy by 2040, defending the right to an abortion, and shielding LGBTQ children.

In response, House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth outlined the difficulties Minnesota is having under Walz's leadership. She started by pointing out that Walz's $72 billion budget included a roughly $18 billion surplus that was intended to be given back to taxpayers but was instead used for other state priorities.

"We know that when there is tax relief offered for young families… as great as that sounds, and we are appreciative of that point, if Minnesota wasn't such an expensive place to live," Demuth said in March.

"In addition to that $18 billion of surplus that is now gone, taxes and fees – our state budget – was raised by another $10 billion. We grew government in a way that is unsustainable," she added.

Hann made similar comments, condemning the governor's "terrible mismanagement" of state funds. "He set up the state for a structural deficit going forward, as he's put in place spending regiments that will far exceed our ability to fund.… His and his policies have been detrimental to businesses."

She also mentioned the fact that kids are performing worse on state-mandated assessments. Furthermore, several of Walz's detractors have pointed out that, beginning in 2020, violent crime rates in the Twin Cities and the entire state have increased.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety reported that although violent crime declined somewhat in 2023, it is still higher than it was before the coronavirus pandemic.

Internet calls Tim Walz a 'worse' than Kamala Harris

Netizens mocked Tim Walz for being chosen as Kamala Harris' running mate when evidence of his prior performance as a governor of Minnesota started to surface.

One X user said, "This nut is a psychopath." Another echoed, "What about his refusal to deploy with his troops? He's a coward that should never be allowed near the chain of command."

"Everyone should be concerned about his extreme socialism views and wanting men in women’s sports. Harris/Walz= COMMUNISM," remarked one while someone else wrote, "Evidently this man is worse than Kamala!"

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.