As speculation about Joe Biden’s possible withdrawal from the presidential campaign intensified last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s name kept coming up as Kamala Harris’s probable running mate.
On Sunday, Biden said that he is not running for reelection. With Biden endorsing Harris as the Democratic candidate, attention on Shapiro and potential running partners will undoubtedly increase.
The party’s candidate will be finally chosen by Democratic convention delegates during their convention in Chicago the following month.
Shapiro is one of many possible vice presidential candidates being screened in a process financed by significant Democratic donors, according to a Saturday Washington Post article. Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan were also on the list.
Shapiro’s greatest strength could be his ability to assist in obtaining Pennsylvania’s vital electoral votes.
The 51-year-old Georgetown Law graduate defeated prominent Donald Trump supporter state senator Doug Mastriano by almost 15 percentage points to win the governorship in 2022. Prior to that, he served as Montgomery County’s state representative and state attorney general, both of which are located just north of Philadelphia.
His rise to national prominence coincided with the June 2023 collapse of the I-95 flyover. After almost two weeks, the flyover was once again open.
Following the July 13 attempted assassination of Trump in Butler County, Shapiro found himself back in the public eye. In fact, GOP U.S. Senate contender Dave McCormick praised Shapiro for his leadership.
Before Biden withdrew from the race, Chris Borick, the director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion, said that Shapiro was a “slam dunk” for the Democrats in an interview.
He remarked, “He’s from Pennsylvania, the most sought-after swing state.” “As the state’s governor, he enjoys great popularity here and is regarded as a rising star in the [Democratic] party.”
Borick said that Shapiro had an advantage over Democratic governors like Beshear and Cooper because of his connections to Pennsylvania.
“North Carolina is fairly competitive, but maybe a little reach for Democrats,” he added, referring to Kentucky as “certainly not a competitive state.” At the moment, Pennsylvania is the Holy Grail of political politics. And it would be quite desirable to have that state’s well-liked governor on your ticket.
While Shapiro’s two years as governor may not be as significant a disadvantage as it is for GOP vice presidential contender JD Vance, who has less than two years of experience as a senator from the United States, according to Borick.
Shapiro said, “You can make a case that he’s been engaged in lots of these issues for a longer time than less than two years by drawing on his work as attorney general.”
Shapiro took over an investigation into alleged sexual abuse by Roman Catholic Church members when he was appointed attorney general. According to a study provided by his office, over 300 priests are accused of molesting over 1,000 children throughout the 1940s.
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Vance is much less of a political veteran. Prior to winning a seat in the U.S. Senate in 2022, he wrote “Hillbilly Elegy” and was a Marine for four years. In addition, he worked as a venture investor and an attorney while attending Yale Law.
Though less so than Vance’s, political expert Samuel Chen of the Liddell Group said last week that Shapiro’s brief political career would provide challenges.
He said, “Shapiro’s background is both an asset and a liability when it comes to the electoral side of the issue.”
While Shapiro has had his moments in the national limelight, Chen—whose experience includes working for Republican governor Tom Corbett and U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey—added that Shapiro is still not a household name. When Vance’s book “Hillbilly Elegy” became a best-seller and eventually a movie, it also garnered a lot of attention from the media since many conservatives identified with its themes.
Additionally, Chen said that people turned off by conventional politicians would be enticed to Vance’s lack of legislative experience.
A shorter CV could even be beneficial, according to Borick, since the longer a politician serves, the more likely it is that flaws will surface.
Shapiro accepted gifts from contributors as the incoming governor, but those donations have drawn criticism. Chen used the example of courtside tickets to the Philadelphia 76ers.
According to Shapiro’s campaign, it was a “political meeting.”
This would not be the first time a governor of Pennsylvania resigned from office to take a position in the federal government, should Shapiro run alongside Harris and win.
Gov. Tom Ridge became the first secretary of Homeland Security in President George W. Bush’s cabinet after the events of September 11, 2001.
Shapiro would become the first Jewish politician in American history to hold the highest office if elected.
Chen said that in light of the Democratic Party’s disapproval of the conflict in Israel and Gaza, it could be possible to win over a large number of Jewish voters with that strategy.
In the event if Shapiro resigned before his tenure ended, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would assume leadership.
Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a Republican from Westmoreland County, would succeed as lieutenant governor in accordance with Pennsylvania’s order of succession. That would be the first time since Joe Scarnati, R-Centre, assumed the position after Catherine Baker Knoll’s death in 2008 that the lieutenant governor of the state did not belong to the same political party.
Shapiro posted an homage to President Biden shortly after the former announced on Twitter that he would not accept the Democratic Party’s candidature for a second term.
The tweet states: “President Biden is a patriot who has honourably served our country in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most consequential presidents in modern history. He has accomplished a remarkable amount to advance our nation, uphold our democracy, and safeguard genuine freedom. His leadership and relentless dedication to delivering for Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth that reared him, make me proud to serve with him.
Shapiro made no reference to his future plans. He endorsed Harris in a statement later on Sunday, stating that he had talked with her after his conversation with Biden:
“Our forefathers clearly understood that we would succeed only if we were unified when they gathered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to proclaim our independence and create our democracy. Our nation and its citizens have faced challenges in the 248 years that have passed, but the American spirit has always prevailed.
“The Democratic Party’s best course of action is to promptly concentrate on gaining the presidency and coalesce around Vice President Harris. In the statement, he added, “There is no way to better contrast this contest, and the path to success in November passes directly through Pennsylvania, the starting point of our collaborative effort. “I’ll exert every effort to support Kamala Harris’s election as the 47th President of the United States.”