JD Vance Launches Trump Campaign’s First Volleys at Harris-Walz Ticket

Senator JD Vance of Ohio, the Republican vice-presidential nominee, on Tuesday criticized Tim Walz, hours after the Minnesota governor was tapped to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, as too extreme for office, the latest in a series of attacks from former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign.

After a rally in Philadelphia, just hours before Ms. Harris and Mr. Walz will hold their first joint rally in the same city, Mr. Vance focused on Mr. Walz’s record shepherding his state through the 2020 George Floyd protests as well as his positions on economic policy. Despite the fact that the two represent Midwestern states, Mr. Vance tried to distance himself from Mr. Walz, whom he described as a “San Francisco-style liberal,” a label the Trump campaign has sought to use against Ms. Harris.

While Mr. Vance did not mention Mr. Walz in his speech, he took questions from reporters after the rally, calling Mr. Walz's career “a joke” and saying that he would debate the governor, but only after his nomination was official.

During the session with reporters, Mr. Vance bemoaned what he called a “little switcheroo” from President Biden to Ms. Harris and cast doubt on whether Mr. Walz would remain Ms. Harris’s running mate.

Mr. Vance, known first for his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” has focused on his background in the Midwest, though he spent time in Silicon Valley, working as a venture capitalist in the tech industry. He must now compete against a Nebraska-born Minnesotan who has leveraged his rural roots and military background, and who presents as a quintessential “Midwestern dad” online, instead of Ms. Harris, who was second on the ticket before President Biden dropped out of the race.

While Mr. Vance had prepared