Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks in Louisville before Republican state lawmakers from across the country, Aug. 7, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Liam Niemeyer)

LOUISVILLE — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell branded Vice President Kamala Harris’ new running mate as “far left” and said Democrats have “abandoned” rural America in a speech Wednesday before Republican state lawmakers from around the country.

The day after Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential choice, McConnell, speaking to a Republican breakfast during the National Conference of State Legislatures annual conference in Louisville, repeatedly used the term “far left” to describe Democrats.?

Some pundits say Walz’s background —? National Guard veteran, former high school teacher, football coach and congressman who represented a district that voted for former President Donald Trump — could resonate with crucial Rust Belt voters who have drifted away from supporting Democrats.?

McConnell said Walz was recommended to Harris by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent known for progressive stances; he said the Harris-Walz ticket represents “the far left of the Democratic Party.”?

“By the way, that’s most Democrats today. Most Democrats today are far left,” McConnell said.?

Sanders had urged Harris to pick Walz as her running mate? because he would “speak up” for the working class.

McConnell said rural areas, including regions of Kentucky that had been Democratic strongholds, have drifted over recent decades to Republicans. He credited former President Barack Obama for that shift, along with? Americans’ rejection of “this kind of elitist, coastal view.”

“We want to thank them for their help completely reversing the political dynamic in rural, small-town America,” McConnell said of the Democratic Party. “They have abandoned rural America.”

Walz’s military and Midwestern background paired with what Democrats describe as a down-to-earth demeanor have spurred hopes among Democrats that Walz can succeed in the swing states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania this fall.

Republicans have panned the selection of Walz as an “empty suit” who will only move the ticket further to the political left. Walz, as governor with a Democratic-controlled legislature, signed into law a number of Democratic goals ranging from protecting abortion access to requiring utilities supply 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. While serving in Congress, Walz also cultivated a bipartisan, relatively moderate record, such as when he voted in 2014 to build the Keystone XL pipeline. That pipeline was intended to carry Canadian crude oil into the country and was opposed by environmental groups.?

Democrats across the country, particularly in North Carolina, have made it a priority to reach and connect with rural voters. The Kentucky Democratic Party recently started a listening tour of? rural counties after Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear made electoral inroads with voters in his reelection campaign last year.

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, who introduced McConnell, told reporters he believes the selection of Walz as a vice presidential candidate confirms what McConnell said, arguing that Democrats are trying to appeal to rural voters.

“Whether they can or they can’t, that becomes a good question. I think that will be based on the policies that they put forward, and hopefully that’s what we get into, is the policies that each party wants to put forward to see what it does for rural America,” Stivers said.?