Mahoning Valley Democratic leaders hailed the selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the party’s vice presidential candidate while Republicans say the pick isn’t important because Donald Trump, their party’s presidential nominee, will win.

“I am incredibly over the moon with the pick,” said Mahoning County Democratic Party Chairman Chris Anderson. “Tim Walz is everything J.D. Vance (the GOP’s vice presidential candidate and a U.S. senator from Ohio) pretends he is.”

Walz, Anderson said, won a U.S. House seat in a rural, Republican-leaning district, is a pro-worker governor who truly supports the middle class and women’s rights, and “is one of the best messengers in the Democratic Party hands down. I’m genuinely very excited about this. Donald Trump and J.D. Vance is the most anti-worker ticket that has ever run.”

Trumbull County Democratic Party Chairman Mark Alberini said of the vice presidential candidates on the short list of Kamala Harris, the current vice president who is running for president, he is the least familiar with Walz.

But what he knows leaves Alberini impressed.

“He’s a fantastic speaker, he’s relatable to voters and spent 12 years as a congressman representing a largely rural district,” Alberini said. “He can work across party lines. I love his background and history as a teacher, coach and member of the Army National Guard. I love that he’s a governor. That’s a huge plus.”

Alberini said he is “very excited about this ticket. There’s renewed energy and enthusiasm.”

The Democratic ticket has undergone a major transformation with the July 21 announcement from President Joe Biden that he wouldn’t run for reelection. That came after fellow Democrats pressured him to withdraw after a disastrous performance at the June 27 debate with Trump.

Biden — and most Democratic leaders — threw their support behind Harris, who then had to decide on a running mate.

There were a number of finalists, but the decision came down to Walz, who emerged after initially being considered a long shot, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Kathy DiCristofaro, the only Democratic National Convention delegate from the Mahoning Valley and Trumbull County Democratic Party vice chairwoman, said: “I’m very happy with the choice. It’s a great ticket. I was kind of leaning towards him. The two I felt were a value add to the ticket were Walz and Shapiro. Walz is a great commentator. He’ll be a help to her moving her agenda through. People can relate to him. I do. I’m a retired teacher so he speaks my language. He brings a lot to the ticket.”

Mahoning County Republican Party Chairman Tom McCabe said the selection of Walz by Harris doesn’t matter because Trump is going to win in November.

“At the end of the day this comes down to people’s pocketbooks and a majority don’t think we’re better off than we were four years ago,” McCabe said. “We win on ideas and where the country is going. Voters will decide on policy. We’re not safer, we’re not better off and voters will choose the path of better economics, border security and less crime. I don’t think this decision will change people’s minds.”

McCabe said the election will come down to a choice between Trump and Harris.

Vance brings youth and new ideas to the Republican ticket while Walz doesn’t, McCabe said.

“It still comes down to who’s at the top of the ticket,” he said. “Our party has a better vision for the people of this country. We’ve seen their vision over the past four years. People can’t afford cars, houses and groceries and the border is out of control.”

U.S. Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Salem, whose district includes Mahoning and Columbiana counties, said: “Walz over Shapiro shows just how much influence Hamas and their supporters have over Kamala Harris and the Democrat Party.”

Rulli was referring to Shapiro’s support of Israel following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, a terrorist organization. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has been a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian protests.

OTHER REACTIONS

Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Elizabeth Walters said Walz “is a proven fighter for working families who has spent his time in office cementing Minnesota as a state that leads in abortion rights, workers rights and so much more. I’m looking forward to seeing him represent Midwest Democrats as he hits the campaign trail with Vice President Kamala Harris. He knows what it’s like to set a bold vision for the future and deliver on those promises. The contrast in this race is clear between Gov. Walz and J.D. Vance, whose vision of the future only includes himself.”

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex M. Triantafilou said Walz “is the perfect choice for a San Francisco liberal like Kamala Harris. During his tenure as governor, he provided drivers’ licenses and free college tuition to illegal immigrants. He failed to protect his citizens from the most violent and dangerous riots in recent memory. Just like Sherrod Brown, he has been, and will continue to be, a rubber stamp for Kamala Harris and Joe Biden’s radical agenda that has crushed Ohio’s middle class families.”

Brown, D-Cleveland, is seeking reelection this year in one of the most hotly contested U.S. Senate races in the country. Brown’s campaign said Tuesday they would not have a comment on Walz’s selection.

Bernie Moreno, Brown’s Republican challenger, said the Harris-Walz team “is the most radical presidential ticket in history. Like San Francisco liberal Kamala Harris, Tim Walz supports radical policies including open borders, amnesty for millions of illegals, a ban on fracking, tax increases on the middle class and green energy schemes.”

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