Consider This from NPR How a candidate's military service can help or hurt their campaign
Aug 12, 2024
12:07
By most measures, the new Democratic ticket has had an impressively smooth launch.
But there is one caveat to that — controversy over how vice presidential nominee Tim Walz described his military service.
A spokeswoman for the Harris-Walz campaign has said in a statement that the Democratic vice-presidential nominee "misspoke" when talking about his military service.
Walz, who served for 24 years in the National Guard, had made a comment that sounded like he had been to war.
Walz's Republican opponent, JD Vance, pounced on that comment to accuse Walz of what's called "stolen valor," a serious charge among veterans.
But there's also a history of playing politics with military service – one that's been used in past elections.
Is Tim Walz guilty of deliberately misrepresenting his military record or the victim of a familiar political smear tactic?
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But there is one caveat to that — controversy over how vice presidential nominee Tim Walz described his military service.
A spokeswoman for the Harris-Walz campaign has said in a statement that the Democratic vice-presidential nominee "misspoke" when talking about his military service.
Walz, who served for 24 years in the National Guard, had made a comment that sounded like he had been to war.
Walz's Republican opponent, JD Vance, pounced on that comment to accuse Walz of what's called "stolen valor," a serious charge among veterans.
But there's also a history of playing politics with military service – one that's been used in past elections.
Is Tim Walz guilty of deliberately misrepresenting his military record or the victim of a familiar political smear tactic?
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Email us at considerthis@npr.org.
Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices
NPR Privacy Policy