WASHINGTON (AP) — In some corners of the Democratic Party, last week felt like déjà vu. The party's vice-presidential nominee’s military record was under assault from Republicans — attacks reminiscent of those leveled two decades earlier on Sen. John Kerry during his run for the White House.
Democratic strategists who lived through the Kerry onslaught, however, say the political landscape has changed so much since 2004 that they do not believe the attacks will land with the same resonance. “It is a very different world,” said Tad Devine, a senior adviser to Kerry’s 2004 campaign. Former President Donald Trump's campaign responded to the selection earlier this month of Minnesota Gov.
Tim Walz as the Democratic vice presidential nominee by attempting to pick apart his military record. Walz served for 24 years in the Minnesota National Guard, but Trump's campaign has criticized him for using imprecise language to describe how he carried a weapon in war and when he retired from service. Kamala Harris' campaign has pushed back against the attacks, but some Democrats worry Republicans might succeed in turning Walz's military service into a liability.
Others accused Republicans of attempting to “swift boat” Walz, a reference to the 2004 campaign and a sign of the campaign's continued relevance. Kerry’s campaign was caught flatfooted in the summer of 2004 by attacks that questioned whether the presidential candidate had earned his many commendations as a command.