(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump’s running mate in the 2024 election, JD Vance, said he “absolutely” wants to debate his Democratic counterpart Tim Walz.
Vance called Walz shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris announced he would be her running mate Tuesday to congratulate him. Still, Vance took a moment to take a swipe at Democrats during an event later that day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“It wouldn’t shock me if the Democrats pulled another switcheroo and didn’t nominate him,” Vance told reporters, referencing how current President Joe Biden last month dropped out of the 2024 election.
In Philadelphia, Vance pounced on Walz’s political record, calling it a “joke” and the Minnesota governor a “far Left” radical.
“What Tim Walz’s selection says is that Kamala Harris has bent the knee to the far Left of her party, which is what she always does,” Vance said.
Walz is seen as a progressive governor. After Democrats gained control of both legislative chambers in Minnesota, Walz and lawmakers eliminated nearly all of the state abortion restrictions enacted in the past by Republicans, protected gender-affirming care for transgender youth and legalized the recreational use of marijuana.
However, Walz was also able to broker compromises between lawmakers on both sides during his first gubernatorial term.
When serving as a U.S. representative before that, Walz voted to the center of the Democratic median. He had a more conservative record than 70% of other Democrats for all sessions he was in Congress.
NewsNation digital producers Devan Markham, Cassie Buchman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.