哈里斯选择明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹作为竞选搭档，旨在为竞选增加中西部力量

【中美创新时报2024 年 8 月 6 日编译讯】（记者温友平编译）据三位不愿透露姓名的人士向美联社透露，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯于周二选择明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹（Tim Walz）作为她的竞选搭档。在选择沃尔兹时，她正在向一位中西部州长、退伍军人和工会支持者求助，他帮助该州制定了雄心勃勃的民主党议程。美联社记者 SEUNG MIN KIM、COLLEEN LONG、ZEKE MILLER 和 WILL WEISSERT对此作了下述详细报道。

据三位不愿透露姓名的人士向美联社透露，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯于周二选择明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹作为她的竞选搭档。

在选择沃尔兹时，她求助于一位中西部州长、退伍军人和工会支持者，他帮助该州制定了雄心勃勃的民主党议程，包括全面保护堕胎权和向家庭提供慷慨援助。

哈里斯希望巩固她在中西部北部的竞选地位，中西部北部是总统政治中的关键地区，往往是民主党人寻求白宫的缓冲地带。共和党人唐纳德·特朗普 2016 年在密歇根州和威斯康星州获胜，这仍然困扰着该党。特朗普在 2020 年失去了这两个州，但他已将注意力集中在这两个州，因为他计划今年重返总统宝座，并将重点扩大到明尼苏达州。

60 岁的沃尔兹在现代美国政治最动荡的时期之一加入哈里斯，预示着未来的竞选将不可预测。在特朗普 7 月遇刺未遂后，共和党人团结在特朗普周围。几周后，总统乔·拜登结束了他的连任竞选，迫使哈里斯在极其紧迫的时间内团结民主党人并考虑潜在的竞选伙伴。

这三人要求匿名，以免抢先于周二晚些时候的官方公告发表。

哈里斯是第一位领导主要政党的黑人女性和南亚裔人，她最初考虑了近十几位候选人，然后锁定了少数几位有实力的竞争者，这些候选人都是白人男性。在选择沃尔兹时，她选择了一个低调的搭档，后者已经证明自己是民主党事业的捍卫者。

在哈里斯与特朗普和万斯的竞选中，沃尔兹一直是她的坚定公众支持者，上个月在一次采访中称共和党人“只是怪人”。从那时起，民主党抓住了这一信息并加以放大。

周一在明尼阿波利斯为哈里斯举行的筹款活动中，沃尔兹说：“称这些人为怪人并不是诽谤。这是一种观察。”

沃尔兹在内布拉斯加州西点小镇长大，在进入政界之前，曾是明尼苏达州曼卡托西高中的社会研究老师、足球教练和工会成员。

2006 年，他在明尼苏达州南部一个主要由农村组成的选区赢得了六届国会任期中的第一届，并利用这个职位来倡导退伍军人问题。沃尔兹在国民警卫队服役 24 年，升任指挥士官长，这是军队中最高的军衔之一。

2018 年，他以“一个明尼苏达州”为主题竞选州长，并以超过 11 个百分点的优势获胜。

作为州长，沃尔兹必须找到方法，在他的第一任期内与民主党控制的众议院和共和党领导的参议院分裂的立法机构合作。不过，明尼苏达州有分裂政府的历史，这种安排在他第一年出人意料地富有成效。但 COVID-19 疫情在他第二年初袭击了明尼苏达州，两党合作很快就破裂了。

沃尔兹依靠紧急权力来领导该州的应对措施。共和党人对包括封锁、关闭学校和关闭企业在内的限制措施感到不满。他们通过解雇或迫使他的一些机构负责人离职进行报复。但被困在家中的明尼苏达人也通过他在危机初期频繁的下午简报会更好地了解了沃尔兹，这些简报在全州范围内进行了广播和流媒体播放。

沃尔兹在 2022 年的连任中以近 8 个百分点的优势击败了他的共和党挑战者、医生和疫苗怀疑论者斯科特·詹森博士。沃尔兹不仅获胜，民主党还控制了众议院，并扭转了参议院，赢得了八年来首次完全控制两院和州长办公室的“三连胜”。一个重要原因是最高法院的多布斯裁决，该裁决认为宪法不包括堕胎权。这伤害了明尼苏达州的共和党人，尤其是郊区女性。

“蒂姆之所以成为新闻人物，是因为全国和全世界都在看到我们如此热爱的人，”美国参议员艾米·克洛布查尔·克洛布查尔周一表示。

明尼苏达州民主农工党主席肯·马丁表示，他在竞选过程中与之交谈过的年轻人“被沃尔兹欺骗了”。

沃尔兹和其他民主党人带着雄心勃勃的议程进入了 2023 年的立法会议——并获得了高达 176 亿美元的预算盈余来资助它。他们最自豪的成就包括对堕胎权的全面保护，其中包括取消共和党在前几年制定的几乎所有限制，包括 24 小时等待期和父母同意要求。他们还制定了新的跨性别权利保护措施，使该州成为来自外州的家庭为跨性别儿童接受治疗的避难所。

他们的其他主要成就包括为有孩子的家庭提供税收抵免，旨在减少儿童贫困，以及为所有学生提供免费的学校早餐和午餐，无论家庭收入如何。他们还颁布了带薪家庭和医疗假计划，将成人娱乐性大麻合法化，并简化了投票程序。

共和党人抱怨沃尔兹和他的民主党同僚浪费了盈余，这些盈余本可以更好地用于为所有人提供永久性的减税。他们指责州长及其政府对疫情项目监管不力，导致纳税人损失了数亿美元。

联邦检察官指控 70 人从联邦食品计划中骗取了资金，这些计划在疫情期间为儿童提供膳食，在沃尔兹的监督下，这些资金总额达到 2.5 亿美元。这起丑闻被称为“喂养我们的未来”丑闻，是美国最大的疫情援助欺诈案之一。无党派监督机构立法审计办公室于 6 月发布了一份严厉的报告，称沃尔兹的教育部“未能根据警告信号采取行动”，没有有效行使权力，也没有做好充分的应对准备。

共和党人仍然批评沃尔兹对 2020 年明尼阿波利斯警察谋杀乔治·弗洛伊德后引发的有时暴力的骚乱的反应，其中包括纵火焚烧警察局。

在 5 月份圣保罗的一次筹款活动中，特朗普重申了他的虚假说法，即他负责部署国民警卫队来平息暴力事件。“整座城市都被烧毁了……如果没有我这个总统，就不会有今天的明尼阿波利斯，”特朗普说。

实际上是沃尔兹下达了命令，他响应了明尼阿波利斯和圣保罗市长的要求。但在明尼苏达州，共和党立法者表示沃尔兹和明尼阿波利斯市长雅各布·弗雷的行动太慢了。弗雷和沃尔兹互相指责谁应该对没有更快地启动国民警卫队负责。

沃尔兹经常担任拜登-哈里斯的替代者，并越来越频繁地出现在国家电视台上。他们接受了福克斯新闻的采访，这让特朗普非常恼火，以至于他在 Truth Social 上发帖称：“他们让我打不该打的仗。”沃尔兹还是民主党全国代表大会规则委员会的联合主席。在拜登与特朗普辩论表现糟糕之后，他率领民主党州长在白宫与拜登举行会谈。

让沃尔兹加入竞选阵营可能有助于民主党保住该州的 10 张选举人票，并在中西部地区更广泛地支持该党。自 2006 年蒂姆·波伦蒂连任州长以来，没有一位共和党人在明尼苏达州的全州竞选中获胜，但 2022 年共和党的司法部长和州审计长候选人接近获胜。

2016 年，特朗普在该州的得票率仅落后民主党人希拉里·克林顿 1.5 个百分点。虽然拜登在 2020 年以超过 7 个百分点的优势领先明尼苏达州，但特朗普却谎称自己上次赢得了该州，并且可以再次获胜。

明尼苏达州产生了两位副总统，休伯特·汉弗莱和沃尔特·蒙代尔。

题图：明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·沃尔兹于 2022 年 11 月 9 日在明尼苏达州圣保罗对媒体发表讲话。美联社照片/Abbie Parr 

附原英文报道：

Harris selects Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as running mate, aiming to add Midwest muscle to ticket

In choosing Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state.

By By SEUNG MIN KIM, COLLEEN LONG, ZEKE MILLER and WILL WEISSERT Associated Press August 6, 2024 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday, according to three people who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

In choosing Walz, she is turning to a Midwestern governor, military veteran and union supporter who helped enact an ambitious Democratic agenda for his state, including sweeping protections for abortion rights and generous aid to families.

Harris hopes to shore up her campaign’s standing across the upper Midwest, a critical region in presidential politics that often serves as a buffer for Democrats seeking the White House. The party remains haunted by Republican Donald Trump’s wins in Michigan and Wisconsin in 2016. Trump lost those states in 2020 but has zeroed in on them as he aims to return to the presidency this year and is expanding his focus to Minnesota.

Walz, 60, is joining Harris during one of the most turbulent periods in modern American politics, promising an unpredictable campaign ahead. Republicans have rallied around Trump after his attempted assassination in July. Just weeks later, President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign, forcing Harris to unify Democrats and consider potential running mates during an exceedingly compressed time frame.

The three people spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid preempting the official announcement later Tuesday.

Harris, the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to lead a major party ticket, initially considered nearly a dozen candidates before zeroing in on a handful of serious contenders, all of whom were white men. In landing on Walz, she sided with a low-key partner who has proven himself as a champion for Democratic causes.

Walz has been a strong public advocate for Harris in her campaign against Trump and Vance, labeling the Republicans “just weird” in an interview last month. Democrats have seized on the message and amplified it since then.

During a fundraiser for Harris on Monday in Minneapolis, Walz said: “It wasn’t a slur to call these guys weird. It was an observation.”

Walz, who grew up in the small town of West Point, Nebraska, was a social studies teacher, football coach and union member at Mankato West High School in Minnesota before he got into politics.

He won the first of six terms in Congress in 2006 from a mostly rural southern Minnesota district, and used the office to champion veterans issues. Walz served 24 years in the Army National Guard, rising to command sergeant major, one of the highest enlisted ranks in the military.

He ran for governor in 2018 on the theme of “One Minnesota” and won by more than 11 points.

As governor, Walz had to find ways to work in his first term with a legislature that was split between a Democratic-controlled House and a Republican-led Senate. Minnesota has a history of divided government, though, and the arrangement was surprisingly productive in his first year. But the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota early in his second year, and bipartisan cooperation soon frayed.

Walz relied on emergency powers to lead the state’s response. Republicans chafed under restrictions that included lockdowns, closing schools and shuttering businesses. They retaliated by firing or forcing out some of his agency heads. But Minnesotans who were stuck at home also got to know Walz better through his frequent afternoon briefings in the early days of the crisis, which were broadcast and streamed statewide.

Walz won reelection in 2022 by nearly 8 points over his GOP challenger, Dr. Scott Jensen, a physician and vaccine skeptic. Not only did Walz win, Democrats kept control of the House and flipped the Senate to win the “trifecta” of full control of both chambers and the governor’s office for the first time in eight years. A big reason was the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which held that the Constitution doesn’t include a right to abortion. That hurt Minnesota Republicans, especially among suburban women.

“Tim has been in the news because the country and the world is seeing the guy we love so much,” U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar Klobuchar said Monday.

Ken Martin, Chairman of the Minnesota-Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party said young people he spoke to on the campaign trail were “Walz pilled.”

Walz and other Democrats went into the 2023 legislative session with an ambitious agenda — and a whopping $17.6 billion budget surplus to help fund it. Their proudest accomplishments included sweeping protections for abortion rights that included the elimination of nearly all restrictions Republicans had enacted in prior years, including a 24-hour waiting period and parental consent requirements. They also enacted new protections for trans rights, making the state a refuge for families coming from out of state for treatment for trans children.

Their other major accomplishments included tax credits for families with children that were aimed at slashing childhood poverty, as well as universal free school breakfasts and lunches for all students, regardless of family income. They also enacted a paid family and medical leave program, legalized recreational marijuana for adults and made it easier to vote.

Republicans complained that Walz and his fellow Democrats squandered a surplus that would have been better spent on permanent tax relief for everyone. And they’ve faulted the governor and his administration for lax oversight of pandemic programs that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Federal prosecutors charged 70 people with defrauding federal food programs that funded meals for kids during the pandemic out of $250 million on Walz’s watch. Known as the Feeding Our Future scandal, it’s one of the country’s largest pandemic aid fraud cases. The Office of the Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan watchdog, delivered a scathing report in June that said Walz’s Department of Education “failed to act on warning signs,” did not effectively exercise its authority and was ill-prepared to respond.

Republicans still criticize Walz for his response to the sometimes violent unrest that followed the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020, which included the torching of a police station.

During a May fundraiser in St. Paul, Trump repeated his false claim that he was responsible for deploying the National Guard to quell the violence. “The entire city was burning down. … If you didn’t have me as president, you wouldn’t have Minneapolis today,” Trump said.

It was actually Walz who gave the order, which he issued in response to requests from the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul. But within Minnesota, GOP legislators said both Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey were too slow to act. And there was finger-pointing between Frey and Walz on who was responsible for not activating the Guard faster.

Walz has served often as a Biden-Harris surrogate, and has made increasingly frequent appearances on national television. They’ve included an interview on Fox News that irritated Trump so much that he posted on Truth Social, “They make me fight battles I shouldn’t have to fight.” Walz is also co-chair of the rules committee for the Democratic National Convention. And he led a White House meeting of Democratic governors with Biden following the president’s disastrous performance in his debate with Trump.

Putting Walz on the ticket could help Democrats hold the state’s 10 electoral votes and bolster the party more broadly in the Midwest. No Republican has won a statewide race in Minnesota since Tim Pawlenty was re-elected governor in 2006, but GOP candidates for attorney general and state auditor came close in 2022.

Trump finished just 1.5 percentage points behind Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state in 2016. While Biden carried Minnesota by more than 7 points in 2020, Trump has taken to falsely claiming that he won the state last time and can do it again.

Minnesota has produced two vice presidents, Hubert Humphrey and Walter Mondale.