Josh Shapiro, a top candidate for the VP nomination, has endorsed Kamala Harris. What is his contribution to the campaign?
The chatter this week regarding the possibility that Joe Biden quitting the race for president, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name was repeatedly brought as a possible running partner with Kamala Harris.
By Ben Wasserstein
Jul 22, 2024 05:58 AM
As chatter grew last week about the likelihood of Joe Biden quitting the race for president, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name repeatedly cropped up as a likely running mate for Kamala Harris.
Biden declared on Sunday that he is dropping his re-election campaign. Now since Harris has Biden’s support for the Democratic candidate, the spotlight on Shapiro and his possible running mates is sure to increase.
Democrat Convention delegates are expected to eventually decide on the nominee for the party’s nomination at the annual convention held at Chicago in the coming month.
The Washington Post reported on Saturday that Shapiro is one of the potential candidates for the VP who are being scrutinized through a process that is funded by large Democratic donors. Other names on the list included Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Shapiro’s greatest asset is the potential for him to contribute to delivering the critical election votes that originate from Pennsylvania.
A 51-year-old Georgetown Law graduate was elected governor in 2022, with nearly 15 percentage points, beating state senator. Doug Mastriano, a well-known Donald Trump supporter. Prior to that, he served as an attorney general for the state as well as an elected legislator in Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia.
The issue gained national attention after the I-95 overpass’s collapse in June 2023. The bridge was reopened 2 weeks afterward.
Following the attempted assassination attempts of Trump at Butler County on July 13, Shapiro was again in the spotlight, and was even receiving the praise from his leadership qualities from GOP candidate of U.S. Senate Dave McCormick.
Chris Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion In an interview prior to Biden quit that Shapiro was an “slam dunk” for the Democrats.
“He’s from Pennsylvania, the most coveted swing state,” the governor said. “He’s very popular here, high approval ratings as governor of the state and seen as a rising star within the [Democratic] party.”
Borick claimed that Shapiro’s Pennsylvania connections gives him an edge over Democratic governors like Cooper and Beshear. as well as Cooper.
“Kentucky, certainly not a competitive state, North Carolina is fairly competitive, but maybe a little reach for Democrats,” he added. “Pennsylvania can be considered one of the Holy Grail of electoral politics at the moment. It is also a state where a well-known governor from the state on your ballot would be extremely sought-after.”
While Shapiro has only served two years as a governor, Borick said that might not be as significant an issue as it is for GOP vice-presidential nominee JD Vance who has been an U.S. senator for less than two years.
“You can fall back on [Shapiro’s] work as attorney general and make a case that he’s been engaged in lots of these issues for a longer time than less than two years,” the attorney general said.
The attorney general Shapiro took over an investigation of sexual abuse perpetrated by priests from the Roman Catholic Church. His office issued the findings of a report that suggested that more than 1,000 children were abused by priests of more than 300 from the 1940s onwards.
Vance has a lot less political experience. Prior to his election into Senate in 2022, he wrote a book. U.S. Senate in 2022 the author of “Hillbilly Elegy” and served for four years as an Marine. He also went to Yale Law and worked as an attorney as well as an investor in venture capital.
A political Strategist Samuel Chen of the Liddell Group stated last week that Shapiro’s brief political tenure could pose a problem although it’s not as severe as Vance’s.
“Shapiro’s resume is both a strength and a liability when it comes to the electoral side of the issue,” he stated.
Chen who’s experience includes work for Republican U.S. Senator. Pat Toomey and Republican Governor. Tom Corbett, added that although Shapiro has seen moments in the spotlight on national television however, he’s still not an established name. This is a distinction Vance reached with his novel “Hillbilly Elegy” became a bestseller and later a film in addition to being the focus of mass media coverage because many conservatives were able to identify with the themes.
People who are dissatisfied with traditional politicians may be attracted by Vance’s lack of experience as an elected official, Chen said.
Borick stated that a more concise resume might be helpful, since more time a political figure is in office in office, the more problems could be seen.
In his role as governor-elect Shapiro received donations from donors, which are now under scrutiny. Chen mentioned courtside seats for those of the Philadelphia 76ers, as one instance.
Shapiro’s campaign referred to it as the event a “political meeting.”
If Shapiro was to be a part of Harris and win, it will not be the first time that a Pennsylvania governor resigned to join the federal government.
After the September. 11 attacks Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Gov. Tom Ridge joined President George Bush. Bush’s presidency as secretary for Homeland Security.
Should he be elected Shapiro will become the most powerful Jewish political figure in American history.
Chen stated that this could help gain the votes of a large number of Jewish citizens who are dissatisfied by the Democratic party over the protests over the conflict within Israel in the Middle East and Gaza.
If Shapiro were to retire before the end of his term the Lieutenant. Governor. Austin Davis would take the control of the office.
According to Pennsylvania’s lineage of succession Senate president pro tempore Kim Ward, a Republican from Westmoreland County, would become the lieutenant governor. It will be the first time that Pennsylvania’s second in command wasn’t from the same political faction as that of the governor. Joe Scarnati, R-Centre, assumed the governor’s position after the death of Catherine Baker Knoll, who died in 2008.
Shortly after Biden posted on Twitter that he was not going to take the Democratic nomination for another term, Shapiro tweeted a tribute to the president.
“President Biden is a patriot who has served our country honorably in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history,” the tweet reads “President Biden has gotten an remarkable amount accomplished to help move our nation forward, protect our democracy, and defend the real freedom. I am honored to be alongside him and am thankful for his leadership as well as his unwavering dedication to the cause of Pennsylvania – the Commonwealth which gave him his birth.”
Shapiro said nothing about his future plans. Then, on Sunday, he released an endorsement of Harris who said he’d had a conversation with her following a meeting with Biden: Biden:
“When our founding fathers gathered to form the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to declare our independence and establish our democratic system they did so with a clear understanding that we could only achieve our goals by being united. Since then, for 248 years the declaration of independence, our nation and our citizens have been testedyet we have always remained united. American character has consistently prevailed.
“The best way to move to take to those in the Democratic Party is to quickly join with the vice president Harris and focus on securing the presidency. The difference in this race is not more clear and the path towards victory on November is across Pennsylvania which is where this collective work started,” he said in the declaration. “I intend to work all I can to support the election of Kamala Harris as the 47th president of the United States.”