MSNBC’s Charlie Sykes Says Gov. Tim Walz ‘Reads Moderate’ Despite His Far-Left Policy Record

MSNBC’s Charlie Sykes said on Wednesday that voters will not criticize Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s far-left policy record because he “reads moderate” and “talks like a regular person.”

Sykes said he first expressed disappointment with presumptive nominee Kamala Harris’ choice to pick Walz over Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate. He argued voters will resonate with Walz based on his “moderate” appearance rather than his policy record as governor.

“Initially, I admit that I was surprised and disappointed by this choice,” Sykes told “Morning Joe.” “I thought Josh Shapiro was the more obvious choice. Walz is more TBD , sometimes governors have a hard time scaling up and I think it’s very, very important for this ticket to appeal and reach out to the center and moderate voters … We’re so used to thinking of this in ideological terms when maybe it will be something else. Maybe it will be not decided on policy, but decided on personality and perception.”

“His biography, the vibe that he gives out, he may have a very progressive governing record, but he reads moderate and he talks like a regular person rather than a politician, which will play well in rural areas,” Sykes continued.

Sykes argued Walz will speak the language of white, rural voters and moderate Republicans “drifting away” from Republican nominee Donald Trump. He further argued the Minnesota governor’s persona and the energy of the crowd at the Harris-Walz rally on Tuesday is enthusiasm usually seen closer to the November election.

“This enthusiasm is not speculative, it’s there and I’m gonna be very interested to see how it plays here,” he added.

Walz has a record of veering to the left during his time as governor. The governor signed an executive order on March 8, 2023, to allow anyone, including minors, to undergo sex change operations and gender hormone procedures, as well as bar Minnesota from helping other states arrest individuals charged with violating out-of-state laws regarding sex changes.

Walz also signed a “trans refuge” law on April 27, 2023, to prevent the enforcement of out-of-state laws that intend to remove a child from their parents for receiving transgender medical procedures. The Minnesota governor also signed the Protective Reproductive Options Act in May 2023 that codified abortion into the state constitution with no limits.

Other left-wing policies enacted by Walz included a bill from March 2023 permitting illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and establishing universal background checks for the purchase of all firearms in the state.

Featured Image Credit: Screenshot/Grabien/MSNBC

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