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HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has not been tapped to run for vice president on the Democratic ticket with Kamala Harris, according to the Associated Press.
Shapiro, 51, a centrist Democrat, was passed over for Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the AP reported citing multiple sources. He’s still expected to speak at a Harris rally in Philadelphia this evening.
Harris’ decision ends weeks of intense vetting and speculation, and comes shortly before the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. There, Harris will take President Joe Biden’s place as the Democratic presidential nominee following Biden’s momentous decision to drop out of the race and forgo a potential second term in the White House.
Shapiro quickly emerged as a lead contender for the No. 2 spot on the ticket. He’s a popular chief executive in a must-win state for Democrats. Shapiro has won three statewide elections, including races for attorney general in 2016 and 2020, outperforming Biden in the latter.
But his critics resurrected some of the more controversial and embarrassing episodes in his political career, including lingering questions about how he handled a sexual harassment complaint against a top advisor.
After a key aide — and longtime political ally — was accused of sexual harassment during Shapiro’s first year in office, his administration quietly negotiated and paid out a $295,000 settlement. The aide resigned three weeks later.
The National Women's Defense League, a nonprofit that seeks to prevent sexual harassment, called on the Harris campaign to consider Shapiro’s handling of the incident.
"The American people deserve to know that, if called to a higher office, Governor Shapiro will do more to ensure the safety and dignity of employees, volunteers and constituents in his office,” the group said in a statement.
The vetting also rekindled tension over the incident at home. While some Democrats publicly defended Shapiro’s handling of the issue, others joined the criticism, as did Republicans. State Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, a frequent opponent, posted on social media that the incident showed a “general disrespect for women.”
Shapiro’s stance on Israel and its war in Gaza also came under intense scrutiny. An observant Conservative Jew, Shapiro has frequently said that his faith has played prominently into his decision to enter and remain in public service.
He is a vocal supporter of Israel, telling the New York Times earlier this year that he is “pro-the idea of a Jewish homeland, a Jewish state, and I will certainly do everything in my power to ensure that Israel is strong and Israel is fortified and will exist for generations.”
In Harrisburg, he has shown this by hosting official events with Israeli survivors of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and backing a bill to strip state funding from any college that divests from Israel. As attorney general, Shapiro also supported using a state law that targets companies that participate in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement to punish Ben & Jerry’s.
And amid rising protests against the war, the Shapiro administration updated the office’s code of conduct to bar “scandalous” conduct. An email accompanying the policy cited social media posts, boycotts, graffiti, and public confrontations as examples of potential “hate speech” that would not be tolerated.
However, Shapiro has also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling him “one of the worst leaders of all time” early this year.
As the vetting continued, The Inquirer unearthed an opinion article Shaprio wrote as a student at the University of Rochester, in which he described Palestinians as “too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own.”
A spokesperson said Shapiro’s stance has changed over the past three decades.
In that same article, Shapiro wrote that he was a “past volunteer in the Israeli army.” His spokesperson told Spotlight PA in a statement, “At no time was he engaged in any military activities."
"While he was in high school, Josh Shapiro was required to do a service project, which he and several classmates completed through a program that took them to a kibbutz in Israel where he worked on a farm and at a fishery,” the spokesperson said. “The program also included volunteering on service projects on an Israeli army base.”
Shapiro’s support for taxpayer-funded private school vouchers made him a target of powerful unions and progressive groups.
He first publicly voiced support for the idea while running for governor in 2022. Last year, the state Senate passed a $100 million voucher plan that GOP leadership said had been crafted with Shapiro. Democrats privately said they were blindsided by the move and refused to give their support to the proposal.
Despite Shapiro’s efforts to assuage members of his party, the governor was forced to abandon the plan, though he still supports the idea.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain called Shapiro’s support of vouchers “troubling” in an interview with the Detroit News.
"We all know what the voucher system is," Fain said. "It's a system where the rich people can have the taxpayers fund their kids' private education."
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