Kamala Harris admits in her new memoir that she rejected Arizona senator Mark Kelly as a running mate because of concerns about his military record. Instead, she selected Minnesota governor Tim Walz—who later faced widespread criticism for inflating his own service.
Harris described Kelly as “magnetic” but wrote that she “worried his military service could be used against him à la the Swift Boat attacks against John Kerry.” In her words, “I realized I couldn’t afford to test Mark Kelly in that ugly grinder.” Harris believed the former astronaut had not endured a serious political trial and feared Republican strategists could target his service history.
Her decision to pick Walz backfired. Walz claimed to have retired as a command sergeant major, but in reality, he retired at a lower rank. He also said he carried weapons “in war,” despite never seeing combat. Walz left the National Guard just as his battalion faced possible deployment to Iraq. Then-Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance called Walz’s misrepresentations “stolen valor.”
Reports show Walz’s false claims stretch back years. During his 2006 congressional campaign, his media kit wrongly stated he had served in Afghanistan. Despite this, Harris elevated him to the national ticket, a decision that fueled controversy throughout her campaign.
Harris’s book also reveals that Pete Buttigieg was her first choice but “was too big a risk.” She further criticized fellow Democrats Gavin Newsom and Josh Shapiro for being either “unreachable” or too ambitious. But it was her choice of Walz that created the sharpest backlash, reinforcing questions about her judgment.
