Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to tap Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as running mate over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, the only Jewish candidate under consideration, sparked immediate speculation that Keystone State’s governor was cast aside because of his pro-Israel politics.

“This is a person who listened to the Hamas wing of her own party in selecting a nominee,” former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, told reporters in reaction to the pick, according to a CBS News report.

The comment comes amid heavy backlash to the selection of Walz over Shapiro in some corners, with many speculating that the pick was made to appease the far-left wing of the Democratic Party that some see as hostile to Israel.

“Those in the overly online left who are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they are attacking non-Jewish veep contenders’ positions, they’re just telling on themselves,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., told CNN  Monday.

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“There is a strong undercurrent of antisemitism to that,” he continued. “It’s unacceptable. Every contender’s positions on all policy issues, their track records in elected office, all of that is fair game. That is totally open to be subjected to interrogation and to questioning by the Harris team, by observers, but holding him to a different standard because of his religion just simply isn’t who we are in the Democratic Party.”

The defense of Shapiro comes as some supporters of Israel have become increasingly worried in recent months that Harris has started to carve out a position different from President Biden on support for the Jewish State, claiming the vice president has begun to take a more sympathetic view toward the faction of the Democratic Party that has showed support for Palestinians amid Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

While Harris has continued to express that Israel has a right to defend itself and has repeatedly condemned the October terrorist attacks against the Jewish State, she did become the first administration official to call for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza.

Harris also vowed “not to be silent” about the suffering of Gazans ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month, remarks some took as a continued signal of a shifting position from the vice president.

Walz has taken a similar approach to Harris, at times expressing support for Israel while also expressing sympathy for the plight of Gazans.

VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS NAMES MINNESOTA GOV TIM WALZ AS HER RUNNING MATE

“You can hold competing things: That Israel has the right to defend itself, and the atrocities of October 7 are unacceptable, but Palestinian civilians being caught in this … has got to end,” Walz said during an appearance on Minnesota Public Radio in March, according to a report from Al Jazeera.

Walz has also consistently argued that Israel has a right to exist, telling the Jewish Community Relations Council earlier this year that the “ability of Jewish people to self-determine themselves is foundational.”

“The failure to recognize the state of Israel is taking away that self-determination. So it is anti-Semitic,” he said.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz arrives to speak at a press conference regarding new gun legislation at City Hall on August 1, 2024 in Bloomington, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The Minnesota governor was quick to condemn the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, arguing those that carried out the attack showed “an absolute lack of humanity.”

“That’s not a geopolitical discussion. That’s murder,” Walz said, according to a Times of Israel report.

He also urged members of his own party to take the concerns of Jewish students seriously amid a wave of anti-Israel demonstrations on American college campuses in the spring.

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“I think when Jewish students are telling us they feel unsafe in that, we need to believe them, and I do believe them,” Walz said during a PBS appearance. “Creating a space where political dissent or political rallying can happen is one thing. Intimidation is another.”

Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

According to a USA Today report, Walz also expressed support for Israel while serving in Congress between 2007 ad 2019, voting with Israel multiple times, including a vote to condemn the United Nations resolution that declared Israeli settlements on the West Bank illegal.

But Walz also showed that his support for Israel is not unlimited,  warning the country about those same settlements during a diplomatic tour through the Middle East in 2009, arguing that they were damaging prospects for peace.

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Like Harris, the Minnesota governor called for a cease-fire to the conflict in March. That same month, he praised Democrats who voted uncommitted during the state’s primary, following a movement that started in Michigan to protest the Biden administration’s handling of the conflict in Gaza.

Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris shouted down protesters during a campaign speech in Michigan on Wednesday. 

The protesters, who opposed Israel’s fighting with Hamas, interrupted Harris about midway through her speech. 

At first, Harris addressed those trying to disrupt her by saying she was, “here because I believe in democracy and everybody’s voice matters, but I am speaking now.”

But as the protesters continued shouting her down, Harris became more combative. 

“You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Harris said, eliciting static cheers from the audience. 

Those demonstrating were eventually led away, but not before a tense confrontation between Harris supporters and protesters who screamed at one another.

The exchange came amid a visit by Harris and her new running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, to Wisconsin and Michigan where they hoped to shore up support among the younger, diverse, labor-friendly voters. 

KAMALA HARRIS’ RUNNING MATE TIM WALZ PICTURED IN 1995 NEBRASKA MUGSHOT AFTER DUI ARREST

President Biden’s support of Israel in its ongoing war against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip has been a weak spot for the administration. 

Harris told the day’s first rally in Eau Claire, “As Tim Walz likes to point out, we are joyful warriors.” 

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris is welcomed by Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, before she delivers remarks at a campaign event, Wednesday, in Eau Claire, Wisc.  (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

She said they’re looking at the future with optimism, unlike Trump, the former president and Republican White House nominee, whom she accused of being stuck in the past and preferring a confrontational style of politics — even as she criticized her opponent herself.

“Someone who suggests we should terminate the Constitution of the United States should never again have the chance to sit behind the seal of the United States,” Harris said, her voice rising.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A liberal watchdog group is seeking an investigation into Inland Empire Rep. Ken Calvert, the longest-serving Republican in California’s Congressional delegation.

The campaign finance reform group End Citizens United filed a complaint Tuesday with the Office of Congressional Ethics alleging that Calvert failed to disclose information about various rental properties that he owns in Riverside County.

The complaint follows a Times story on Calvert’s use of the legislative process known as earmarking to secure more than $100 million in taxpayer funds for his district, including more than $16 million for transportation projects within a few miles of his own rental properties.

“This is a meritless complaint from a far-left super PAC that’s endorsed Ken’s opponent, and worse — one that gets the facts wrong,” said Calvin Moore, a spokesman for Calvert’s reelection campaign.

A spokesman for End Citizens United said the group is a traditional non-connected political action committee that is allowed to make campaign contributions to candidates. Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts to support or oppose candidates, but cannot give directly to their campaigns.

Questions over Calvert’s real estate investments have resurfaced as the longtime congressman faces off against Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor. California’s 41st Congressional district, which includes Corona and Palm Springs, is considered one of the country’s most competitive races.

The Times found that Calvert failed to disclose the purchase of an automotive repair center in Corona that he acquired in 2016, an omission that his office described as a clerical error. The property sits about a mile from a bridge that received $2 million in earmarked funds through Calvert’s office.

Calvert’s office said Calvert bought the property with his brothers for $2.25 million in September 2016 and had an 11% stake in the deal, valued at $247,000.

Moore said that Calvert “has always gone above and beyond to provide transparency in his financial disclosure statements.” Calvert filed six years of amended financial disclosures last week to disclose his purchase of the automotive repair center.

The complaint filed Tuesday also alleged that Calvert failed to report the purchase of two other properties, in Corona and Palm Springs. Jason Gagnon, a spokesman for Calvert’s office, said one property was disclosed properly and the other was a personal loan that Calvert disclosed “even though he was not required to do so.”

The Office of Congressional Ethics is an independent group with no subpoena power that reviews allegations against members of the House of Representatives and, in some cases, refers cases to the House Ethics Committee for further investigation.