Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in her campaign for President. Walz, the Democratic Governor of Minnesota since 2019 and a former Congressman representing Minnesota’s 1st District from 2006-2018, is a moderate from a rural district who has adopted popular progressive policies as Governor of Minnesota. If Harris wins her campaign for President, Walz will become the next Vice President of the United States.
In supporting the Obama administration’s diplomacy toward Iran, and opposing the Trump administration’s Muslim ban and decision to abandon the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), Walz’s common sense approach has shone through over the years.
As a Member of Congress during the negotiation of the JCPOA who served on the Armed Services Committee, Walz was supportive of the nuclear negotiations and signed many of the key efforts supporting the Obama administration. Walz signed the Dent-Price letter in 2013 urging the Obama administration to pursue diplomacy with the newly-elected Rouhani government and the Schakowsky-Doggett-Price letter endorsing the framework for the 2015 nuclear deal.
In supporting the 2015 nuclear deal, then-Congressman Walz stated “This deal gives us the best chance we have had in years to halt the Iranian nuclear program. It dismantles the progress they have made and opens up the country to strict inspections. Should Iran violate the terms of the agreement, we reserve the right to reimpose the kind of strict economic sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table in the first place. And, as always, we retain our right to defend ourselves from Iranian aggression.”
He called out detractors of the agreement, stating, “I don’t know of a better deal. The ideal situation is Iran says we’re totally sorry, you guys are right, here’s all our stuff, we’ll never say anything bad about you again and we love the Cowboys. I think that’s what people think. They’re not going to do that.”
Walz also took a firm position against Donald Trump’s Muslim ban in 2017, stating “it fundamentally contradicts our nation’s values. By unilaterally shutting America’s door on those fleeing war and persecution in hope of a better life in the United States, we break the promise of our fundamental principle: that our nation is enriched by those who come from different lands, who bring their talents, their hopes and their hunger for freedom. This type of blanket discrimination is shameful and morally reprehensible. It’s not who we are as Americans, and it’s not who we are as Minnesotans. In the last day, I have been heartened by so many Americans who have raised their voices to speak out. I join them and will continue our work to live our values and protect our nation.”
Walz also cosponsored legislation to repeal the Muslim ban, including the Statue of Liberty Values Act.
While some potential nominees for Vice President took strident positions against protests against the Gaza war, including urging crackdowns on student protests, Walz appears to have adopted a moderate position urging that protesters be listened to. On the Uncommitted campaign protesting the war in Gaza, Governor Walz stated “They are asking to be heard and that’s what they should be doing…Their message is clear that they think this is an intolerable situation and that we can do more. And I think the president is hearing that.”
This background largely matches the positions held by Vice President Harris on the issues outlined above. Harris was among the first candidates for President in 2020 to pledge to restore the Iran nuclear deal, and attended protests against the Muslim ban and cosponsored legislation to repeal it. On the Gaza war, Harris has spoken with more empathy about the plight of Palestinians but has not meaningfully broken with the Biden administration’s approach.
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