The brother of George Floyd, whose murder by Minneapolis police sparked nationwide protests in 2020, has reportedly endorsed the Democratic ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota.
On Friday, Philonise Floyd shared his support for Walz, saying he “showed what unity was” by attending the funeral of Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man who was fatally shot by Minnesota police in 2021.
“For him to take time out of his day to speak at the funeral, I gotta give him kudos,” Philonise Floyd said, according to NBC News. “He’s a family man with a good heart.”
He described the governor, who was announced as Harris’ vice presidential running mate Tuesday, as someone who rose to the challenges he faced in office.
“At first, he was just a regular governor, just looking like a politician,” he said. “Then, he stood up and he put Keith Ellison in place as the prosecutor, and that showed a lot of people he was not playing. He was serious.”
Walz had tapped Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general, to handle the prosecution of Derek Chauvin, who was fired from his police role and tried after kneeling on George Floyd’s neck for around 9 minutes, killing him.
Chauvin was convicted in 2021 on two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter, receiving 22.5 years in prison. He received an additional 21-year sentence in 2022, to be served concurrently, for violating George Floyd’s civil rights.
“If it wasn’t for Gov. Walz, we would not be able to walk around and say that we got some accountability,” Philonise Floyd said Friday.
John Minchillo/Associated Press
The Harris-Walz ticket has been enthusiastically received by Democrats. Meanwhile, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has called Walz a “radical left man,” though he’d previously praised his leadership during the civil unrest in Minnesota following George Floyd’s killing.
“I can’t say anything bad about him. I really just want to shake his hand right now,” Philonise Floyd said about the vice presidential nominee. “Sometimes, it’s the people that you don’t see everyday, those are the people that have the best advice. He’s ready.”