Elections

‘Yellow Flag’: Chuck Todd Says He ‘Can’t Help But’ Think ‘Progressive Backlash’ Led Harris To Pick Tim Walz

'Yellow Flag': Chuck Todd Says He 'Can't Help But' Think 'Progressive Backlash' Led Harris To Pick Tim Walz

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NBC’s Chuck Todd said on Tuesday that he believes left-wing pushback influenced Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.

Harris chose Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who were both rumored to be final contenders for the vice presidential slot. Todd, on “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” said “progressive backlash” to these more moderate contenders may have been what swayed Harris’ decision. (RELATED: Kamala Harris Fails To Sit For Interview During First Week Of Presidential Campaign)

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“I have a yellow flag in my head going, ‘Huh, if you squeal loud enough, she hears and responds.’ There is going to be people that will come away from this experience thinking, ‘Huh, the progressive backlash is what got her off of Shapiro or what got her off of Kelly.’ In fairness, maybe they didn’t vet either, okay?” Todd said. “That’s also a possibility when all is said and done, but on substance, I can’t help but have that takeaway.”

The progressive left preferred Walz and championed him when the choice was reportedly down to him and Shapiro. Democratic anti-Israel activists criticized Shapiro for his pro-Israel views.

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany on Tuesday speculated that “there’s a lot of cheering at Mar-a-Lago” as former President Donald Trump prepares to go after the Harris-Walz ticket, citing the vice presidential candidate’s liberal record.

“I think it is fair to call him a progressive in sheep’s clothing. When you look at his record over the last few years, what you see are transgender surgeries for minors, carbon electrical grid by 2040, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants,” McEnany said. “In function, his abortion policy allows abortion until birth.”

“These are policies that are far to the left of America … Kamala Harris has to do the exact opposite of what Tim Walz did,” she continued. “Tim Walz became more progressive. Kamala Harris is trying to become more moderate. But Republicans are going to say, ‘You’ve shed all your progressive policies, but yet you chose a progressive.’”

CNN’s Van Jones voiced concern Tuesday about conservatives celebrating Harris selecting Walz as a running mate over Shapiro and Kelly.

“What worries me is you see a lot of relief from the conservatives. They were scared of Josh Shapiro … they were scared of a Mark Kelly. They thought that would help define Kamala more to the middle,” Jones said. “You see a lot of rejoicing on the right. That’s not good.”

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