Pennsylvania’s Governor Josh Shapiro was on Kamala Harris’s VP shortlist the whole time. Even when she culled the list down to a couple of names, Shapiro was in the mix. Shapiro was one of the potential VP candidates who traveled to Washington over the weekend to be interviewed by VP Harris in person. Apparently, the interview went poorly – so poorly, that Shapiro’s people immediately went into face-saving mode and briefed the political media that Shapiro had mixed feelings about leaving the governorship of Pennsylvania. Which is actually the best possible scenario – instead of hurt feelings and recriminations, Shapiro saved face and now he will be a quality ally in a must-win state for the Harris-Walz ticket. Here’s what Politico had about the interview:
Walz is seen by Harris’ camp as a deft messenger, popularizing “weird” as a messaging framework to describe former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance — a cutting and clear tagline that went viral over the last two weeks.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, another finalist, avoided the green-room circuit and instead touted Harris and his own record at a series of events throughout the state. A pro-Harris event in Philadelphia turned into a Shapiro-for-VP party. His style was seen by at least some in Harris’ world as showboating. One senior Democrat in touch with Harris’ team called it “counterproductive.”
And there was a sense within Shapiro’s team that, unlike Walz, his interview with Harris did not go as well as it could have. There was “not a great feeling” coming out of it, according to a person in touch with his advisers.
After their meeting on Sunday, Shapiro called Harris’ team and made clear that he was “struggling with the decision to leave his current job as governor of Pennsylvania, in order to seek the vice presidency,” according to a person familiar with the selection process.
Yeah, this is what I read from the tea leaves in the past two weeks: Tim Walz’s very public audition via cable-news appearances was very well received. He stayed on message, he showed loyalty to Harris, and his demeanor and manner was everything Harris was looking for. Meanwhile, Shapiro centered himself and seemed reluctant to play the happy-warrior and national messenger. I also believe that there was a feeling that Shapiro wasn’t ready for primetime on a national stage, especially if he bungled his in-person interview.
Yamiche Alcindor also reports that the Harris campaign did not see Shapiro as someone who could guarantee the state of Pennsylvania for them, based on their own internal polling. My guess is that Shapiro wouldn’t give them anything they couldn’t already get with Walz (without Shapiro’s baggage on the national stage).
Speaking of Shapiro’s baggage, the Trump campaign is crowing that they did a “whisper campaign” to convince Democrats that Shapiro would be a bad VP pick. The assumption being, Shapiro was the one Trumpers were worried about? They’re claiming that they were the ones dumping oppo research on social media and beyond. But that doesn’t add up – there were plenty of Democrats who already had deep concerns about Shapiro’s stances on public schools and vouchers. Dems already had concerns about his messy involvement in a top aide’s sexual harassment case. There was also the Ellen Greenberg case, which would have blown up nationally if Shapiro was the pick. As I said – too much baggage with too little reward, especially if the Harris campaign’s internal polling suggested that Shapiro wouldn’t even guarantee Pennsylvania.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
I think Josh wants to run for president.
And while being a VP could help, I think being governor for 8 years of a very important swing state is much better for his ambitions in showing he can govern and pass his agenda.
I don’t think he really wanted it necessarily.
I think Walz wanted it a lot.
Just my two cents.
I disagree. I think Shapiro wanted it very much but in the end he came off as a slick ambitious lawyer that the Harris campaign didn’t need.
Walz apparently crushed his interviews and said all the right things that led the Harris people to know they found their meme worthy attack dog and happy warrior. He compliments her perfectly.
I agree. In fact, given what I was reading, I even expected JS to get the job. He had A Lot of support (Harry Enten CNN, Nate Cohn NYTimes, Nate Silver, etc,…) and I would not be surprised if he thought he more or less had nailed down the position.
He’s talented, a great public speaker, he has bipartisan cred, and he’s ambitious. He’s not the right VP, but he can absolutely go far and be a great help in PA.
@ML, JS had a lot of support from many of the people who publicly pushed Biden to get out of the race (see both Nates). I believe Harris and her advisors didn’t exactly see support from the Bro contingent of the party as a bonus. JS’s making the final round of had more to do with electoral considerations than said endorsements, IMO.
Slick was always one of the words that came to mind about him from me, as well.
Boastfully confident- that’s a personality red flag to me. I think he’s waaaay too ambitious to take second place, and in my assessment, does not make for a supportive running mate.
I think the Harris campaign was acutely aware of how the far left and Zoomers would fracture if Shapiro was the picked (they went from calling Biden Genocide Joe to calling Shapiro Genocide Josh), and how the GOP was planning to run against them by adding fuel to the flames. I’d like to think they were clever enough to make sure people thought he’d be chosen because choosing Walz instead immediately sent the right into another full blown panic. They had already started with antisemitic info and things that specifically amplified everything the lefties that hate him were saying, and there were flyers with this information on the media table at Vance’s rally in Philly yesterday.
As truly disappointing the cover up of the sexual harassment committed by his aide was and his piss poor handling of the protests at Penn & Drexel, he has always been effective & shown himself to be a very capable governor. Whether or not he may have a chance at the big show in 8 years remains to be seen – a lot of that will be impacted not only by his actual performance but also whether the far left and way too many zoomers are still claiming that Jews affiliated with Jewish orgs and/or those who abhor what Israel’s doing but support that 2-state solution we’ve been waiting for since forever are all white colonizer oppressors who are pro-genocide or not.
@pottymouth pup
I totally agree with this and think now that the Trump team was looking forward to Shapiro as a running mate. They have definitely been collecting their oppo and knew how he could be divisive to the party.
Then Kamala throws this absolute curve ball and they are SHOOK
I think it came down to chemistry, as these things often do – she had it with Walz, she didn’t with Shapiro, the end. I’d be interested to know why Mark Kelly got slotted into third place so quickly?
I agree that Shapiro wants his own presidential run, as does Whitmer so they’re keeping their powder dry until (hopefully) Trump will be done forever after this election. Then they’ll have a go without having to go against Trump…
Governors are executives. Kelley has no executive experience. It’s just that simple.
I like Kelly but he’s a bit bland and unions don’t like him. Also no executive experience.
I really don’t think Shapiro would have brought anything that Harris didn’t already have. To easy to paint them as coastal elite liberals. Waltz was perfect.
Hard agree. She didn’t want to govern in the shadow of his ambition, and Tim seems so comfortable being #2!
Whenever I see language like, “the ONLY reason people don’t support X is because of Y,” I feel manipulated and chafe. And Obama bros have been sending this message everywhere, thankfully it hasn’t been successful. Shapiro would have started this campaign on his back foot, and I’m so tired of dudes telling me SH and SA is no big deal and no one cares in the context of an election this important. It’s 2024 boys.
I wish there was a like button. These bros NEVER address the SH and SA in their constant whining.
@Fuzzy Crocodile, The Guardian seems to think the same and they’re basing this assumption on a report from the New York Times so it’s an idea which is out there.
From what I gather from some of the news reports that I do trust Shapiro was signaling to her that he wanted to do more as VP so he kind of let her know maybe don’t pick me. I think he has some ambitions that he wants to fulfill and maybe those are that he wants to run for President when the time is right.
Vouchers are bad enough—the fact that Nate Silver wanted him is enough to seal his doom with me. He’s now working for Peter Thiel, who makes comic book villains look like average everyday guys. You gotta read the New Yorker profile —you’ll never see these Silicon Valley tech bros the same ever again…
He would have been an awful choice. I am so relieved Kamala and her campaign didn’t pick him. I was hoping for either Walz or Kelly (Kelly wouldn’t have been a great strategic choice in regards to the AZ Senate seat but I think he would have been a good pick). Walz was a great choice.
Kelly was a great choice on paper but he is not a great public speaker or communicator. Walz excels at making the case in plain witty language that people quickly identify with. When I saw how good and effective he was in the “weird“ interview I was like: yeah that’s the guy they need.
I kept thinking it was going to be Kelly, his resume is impeccable, but you’re right – on paper. And that’s not what elections are in this day and age – clips of Walz have been going viral, he’s got people energized, and his messaging is on point. He knows how to connect.
Plus I can imagine Kamala Harris just likes the guy. He’s got some Biden straight-talker, regular guy energy, and will have her back.
He’s more of a centrist/moderate democrat, and progressive Kamala does not need to be hamstrung by that nonsense.
@NotSoSocialB – Walz is considered a moderate as well.
Unfortunately, elections have become more about how well you can perform and mobilize crowds. Kelly would be more like Tim Kaine who’s a very intelligent guy but not very engaging. The quiet intelligent types are good administrators, but not so good show people.
I watched Alcindor’s reporting. I think what was not said but kind of implied is that Kamala would not be able to trust him, and he wouldn’t sell her out on background. Loyalty was a thing for her, and what was said in some reporting “can you see yourself eating lunch with this person once a week for the next 4 to 8 years?”
Jamie Gangel on CNN reported that Shapiro’s interview did not go well. Kamala got the sense he was negotiating what he would do as vice president. On the other hand, when asked how he saw the job, Tim replied that he would do whatever she as president wanted him to do. One thing she was trying to gauge was whether any of these alpha white guys would resist taking orders from a Black woman. Clearly, she didn’t just fall out of a coconut tree.
🥥 🌴🙌🏻 👊🏻
Best comment! I have to agree. I think Shapiro would have had difficulty not being center stage and allowing a woman to shine. The ‘baggage’ he brings is so disturbing, I am surprised he made it to the final round. This shows that Harris is open minded and willing to do what is best for country and party. Ultimately, he was the wrong choice and it showed on multiple levels.
The other piece of it is how the media would behave towards him. It’s hard not to see him stepping all over her like HE was actual POTUS, and the media treating him that way. Hard to imagine him saying “That’s President Harris’ plan/idea/decision”. Walz, otoh, made clear he did not have presidential ambitions and understood his role.
I am so relieved that Harris chose Walz over Shapiro – there was too much baggage there IMO.
Walz’s speech last night was amazing!! I finally feel hopeful for this upcoming election 🙌
SO much baggage.
I’ve said more than once, the only reason I believe JS made it to the final round was because he’s governor of PA. Of all the candidates, he had the most negatives. So when the Harris campaign crunched the numbers and realized they didn’t need JS to win PA, it was pretty much over for him.
One of the things that has struck me is how the youth have gravitated to Walz. My teenager, who is going to cast his first presidential vote in November, was THRILLED it was Walz and actually said he was relieved it wasn’t JS. I asked why, and I heard a litany of praise for Walz, especially about his support for unions (and dings against JS that included his abysmal handling of the sexual harassment situation). I was a little surprised he had researched all the VP candidates and had a grasp of those kinds of details, given how hard it is to get him to cut the gras lol. But he is fired up to vote for both Harris and Walz, and I think a lot of younger voters are feeling the same!
@TigerMcQueen Lol! Since I stopped following the national news and most local also, I first heard about Andy Beshear from my 42 year old son and his cousin. They were debating whether Kentucky could actually be put in play. It seems the kids are alright ☺️
@Bamaborn – “the kids are alright” LOVE this!!
If you look at how Kamala Harris has handled being VP to Joe Biden, then you see how loyal and supportive she’s always been. When JB ran into problems after his June debate, there was NEVER any question that VP Harris was undermining him. The President could trust her.
If Josh Shapiro didn’t invoke that same feeling—especially when we were told that loyalty and cooperation were qualities that KH was looking for, then it’s really good that he wasn’t chosen.
A couple Democrats in PA warned her about JS—TW didn’t have that issue from Minnesotans. The NDA and cover ups were bad, but the Ellen Greenberg “suicide” is toxic. I still can’t believe that a bunch of [male] writers and presenters preferred JS over TW.
The Greenberg case got very little coverage from the mainstream media. But if Shapiro had been chosen, it would have been covered for days.
Could you summarize the Ellen Greenberg story and Shapiro’s involvement? I’ve been hearing and reading so many references to it over the past few days, but all I really know is just “lots of stab wounds, blatant misidentification of cause of death”.
Ellen Greenberg was found dead in her apartment by her fiancee who has political connections. Ellen was found with a knife in her chest and somehow she stabbed herself I believe 20 times or more. As AG, Shapiro agreed with the ruling it was a suicide. The reason why people, cause the door was locked from the inside and her fiancee claims he had to break it down to gain entry to the home.
It’s insane that anyone said this woman did this.
I just read about it. There were also knife wounds in her neck and back presumably after she had died. The report was first suicide, then homicide, when they went to collect evidence, the place had been cleaned. The pathologist was ‘visited’ then the homicide was changed back to suicide. Shapiro oversaw this and told the parents it was suicide and case shut. This must be so horrifying for her parents. This is an outrage, who commits suicide from 20 knife wounds to the chest, spine and neck. Along with the sexual harassment issue, I do not feel comfortable with someone like this in office.
Shapiro wants to be president and make no mistake he wanted to be VP as a stepping stone.
I read that he went into the interview cocky and trying to negotiate and came off like he thought he was the interviewer not the interviewee.
She made the right choice and I want to see justice for Ellen Greenberg before anyone floats his name again
Hahaha the repugs are so stupid trying to make people think they influenced Kamala’s decision. Yes they didn’t want Shapiro because they thought he could give her Penn state and that is their only path. I’m sure they’d prepared tons of oppo against him. But then Walz comes out of nowhere and they were NOT prepared for this. They are scrambling and failing once again.
Um, perhaps if the Republicans had put more time and thought into influencing Trump’s decisions, they — and we — would be better off. It boggles my mind that the MAGA team that’s fine with low-EQ-that’s-why-your-grandma-had-plastic-slipcovers-on-her-couch Vance would think that they have the power to influence another Party’s personnel decisions when the putative leaders in their own party are so flat out awful.
Because their own leaders are puppets but it’s too hard to control crazy sometimes
If she’d chosen Shapiro, the pundit class and podbros who are already butt-hurt that they didn’t get their “open convention” reality show, would have started a “what if the ticket were reversed?” talk. The same would have happened with Beshear, although probably not as much.
The Democratic base and the grassroots activists are driving this energy and excitement and they can’t handle it.
@A Guest 💯
Definitely! 💯
Absolutely this!
I agree that Shapiro wants to be President and may have tried to horn in where VPs normally don’t. For all Walz’s ability to rev up a crowd, he doesn’t come off as needing to be top dog. He seems really happy to be a strong supporter, as evidenced by his career as teacher, coach, NCO. Lawyers are programmed to WIN, that’s why it’s so great Kamala chose a non-lawyer as veep. That said, Shapiro did a great job at the rally, and will probably learn a lot of good from the energy of collaboration Harris-Walz is bringing.
The pundits were really pushing for Shapiro. But Shapiro as “the obvious choice” never made any sense to me. He’s been governor of Pa. for a year and a half, in other words, for a hot minute. Of course, he’s popular; he hasn’t had time to piss anyone off. I don’t believe MAGA was quaking in their boots that he would be chosen. He was a human wedge issue to them. They figured he would provoke riots outside the convention in Chicago even though his position on Israel-Gaza is mostly the same as Harris-Walz.
But, for me, the vouchers issue and the sexual harassment case were much bigger concerns. He is also what Republicans like to call a “coastal elite” and a lawyer. Assuming he could bring his own state (a big assumption), how would he do in the Midwest? He was born and raised in suburban Philadelphia. Not exactly the heartland. Also, his resume—lawyer, DA, and Attorney General is identical to Kamala’s. She definitely made the right choice with Walz. Shapiro can help the campaign as a surrogate.
Shapiro has too much baggage.
Even without Shapiro’s “baggage”, I think Walz was a very astute pick. Not only is his CV great (serviceman, teacher, coach etc.), but he comes across as normal, not a “politician’s politician”, but someone you could have a drink with. He’s the anti-Trump (who will be going out of his tiny paranoid mind about this appointment, full-on narcissistic collapse). Plus he’s clearly good on his feet and up for the fight.
He’s exactly what they need right now.
Tim is definitely not a career politician which Shapiro certainly is.
Technically Tim is a career politician. He served in congress for many years and then moved to his governorship for many. The difference to me is that Tim is a true servant-leader. I think Josh wants to serve the people but he also wants badly to be a star in the vein of Barack Obama.
Picking Shapiro would have lost Kamala the union and youth vote.
I know it shouldn’t matter but I definitely don’t get the same warm fuzzy feeling from Shapiro that Walz gives. Walz is adorable, funny, codes loving dad, and seems authentic. Shapiro just reads politician. Repubs are already trying to say that Shapiro was passed over because democrats hate Jewish people.
I’ve seen that.
Schumer was like “I haven’t noticed.” Community Notes listed several top Dems that are Jewish.
Best comment I’ve seen on the internet –
“This election is essentially:
America’s fun Aunt and America’s fun dad
vs.
A Convicted Felon and Your Weird Cousin”
This really is exactly what it boils down to.
Someone tweeted (wish I could remember so I could link) that every woman, especially Black women, know that white male co worker who isn’t going to accept your authority and is going to try to push you to the side regardless of you outranking him. They said Shapiro was that guy.
I agree that’s how he came off. Like he was the main event instead of a supporting lead.
Agree. There’s something about him that screams naked ambition. I can imagine him being quite aggressive in his role if he’d been the VP pick. Kamala chose the right running mate.
Here I go again with my school-marmish plea. But it’s over, the decision is made. Let’s look forward people. I wasn’t a fan of his for the VP post, but I do believe that Shapiro could still be a great asset for Kamila on the campaign trail. So please, stop with the negativity. This election is much to close for comfort.
I like how Kamala chose Walz, he’s a normal guy. Shapiro gave a good speech last night, but it was a bit perfect, esp. in contrast with Walz. Walz is a great VP.
However I really liked that all the VP contenders have come out praising Walz and endorsing him and Harris.
I’m from the PA area so I liked Shapiro a lot, but he had baggage that would’ve blown up, like the Greenberg case. You could already see the daily mail trumpeting it and now, of course, that has all faded. Surprise, surprise… I do find it odd that so many Republicans on social media are taking him not being picked so personally, as if they would’ve voted for Harris because of him. That tells me there may have been some oppo they were chomping at the bit to use.
Yup oppo that they now won’t be able to use. Meanwhile Walz has blindsided them and all they got is tampon Tim
Laughing out loud here with your comment
That is 100% what’s happening. They have less to say about Walz, and so far nothing substantive.
Indubitably.
Shapiro does have baggage, but also, he’s been governor for a relatively short time, so it gives him less of a record of accomplishments. Walz has a good record of accomplishments and a lot of those accomplishments can be boiled down into very simple statements that make them easier to sell – he’s making sure students get breakfast and lunch, he’s making sure kids at school have tampons, he’s making sure women’s rights are protected, including IVF.
These are issues that are going to be hard for the Rs to push back on, even though they’ll try. We saw how laws effectively banning IVF sent women in Alabama and Mississippi into a state of shock because that’s not what they thought would happen after Dobbs. The idea of “making sure kids don’t go hungry” is hard for Rs to push back on, even though they’ll try. Tampon Tim is already becoming a positive for him.
He’s a veteran, an educator, and has served both in legislative and executive branches. He has a good handle on how government works and he has a good handle on what kids need to survive and thrive.
I think the Rs wanted Shapiro because they thought he would be easier to attack for a variety of reasons. Walz is much harder to come for – kind of like Tim Kaine -but unlike Tim Kaine, he punches back VERY effectively.
Amy Klobuchar was asked about his qualities, and part of her response was that he is very comfortable working with strong women, and his wife is a strong woman. So he makes a good VP for being willing to follow orders for the team without letting his ambitions get in the way. (Is he going to want to run for President in 8 years when he’s 68? Probably not.) But also, he has more years of Washington experience from 12 years in Congress, which is useful in trying to get legislation passed and he can be helpful in this. And, he has lived overseas in various places, including a year in China as a teacher, which gives him a foreign policy perspective. Adding in the experience as governor into a second term, If he had to assume the Presidency, though highly unlikely, he would be qualified to do the job.
I’m interested to watch Shapiro’s career. He’s got a lot of energy and I hope he can support Harris and Walz in carrying Pennsylvania. At the end of the day, Walz was a better fit for Harris. We didn’t need two lawyers on the ticket. And that’s not a knock against lawyers! But the ticket needed a different balance which Walz provided. His record is on point. I wish Shapiro future success in Pennsylvania and wherever his next path takes him.
Same. They were all great contenders and it has to come down to one. None of them will lose by being in the running. Interviews do serve their purpose and I’m glad it’s Walz; I see the appeal, for sure. Now let’s win 🏆💙🇺🇸
Someone who brags about their service in a foreign country’s military should not be in charge of our armed forces.
Chaine – WHAT are u talking about??? “Someone who brags about their service in a foreign country’s military should not be in charge of our armed forces” does not appear to have any relevance whatsoever in this discussion. Your statement makes you sound like a troll.
Also, Shapiro being younger doesn’t mean he’s going to deliver the youth vote. Walz was a teacher, a coach, liaison of Gay Straight Alliance at his school, and has a teenager son and young twenty-something daughter. I can see what a good report they have in the videos he and his daughter did together during his time as governor. I think this guy understands young people, and young people really like him. Shapiro doesn’t give those vibes.
Oops riddled with typos, but you get the idea.
She’s going to be President and actually needs a white man to take a second seat like Biden did for Obama. That’s not Shapiro. Everyone was exclaiming on how great he was yesterday and he sounded like Obama. This is one of the names the Dems were throwing out there for the mini-primary crap. I am proud of Walz for standing by Biden by saying he met with him and found no issues there at all. And Walz will be happy being the last in the room with Kamala and pushing for things on the progressive front.
They were never going to elect a woman of color and a Jew on the same ticket. Got to love America!
Unfortunately I agree. Same reason Pete Buttigieg wasn’t going to be considered. A POC woman and a gay man? We should be ready, it shouldn’t be an issue….but sadly we haven’t come that far yet where such things aren’t even a consideration in electability and suitability. Hopefully we’ll get there.
I lived in PA up until last year, and he’s too establishment for the image they want. I actually don’t think he’ll play well with the younger generation at all. He’s totally fine as a governor and AG because he’s willing to pivot to whatever people want to maintain office, but he is absolutely a moderate and not super progressive, though he’s good on the social issues. He might do best staying at the state level because I’m not sure he’ll do as well on the national stage where young people want something more like Walz or Bernie.
He also is very open in his support of Israel (he’s Jewish and very actively involved in the community, including doing overseas programs there, so I understand his personal attachment), but that’s a political quagmire right now. Many are uncomfortable with Israel’s current leadership in the war, even if they’re fine with Israel as an extant country. Young people are going to be more willing to bet on two people who have taken a more flexible approach than a staunch support position.
I was thrilled that Harris chose Walz. When I watched Shapiro, I saw his energy and thought that he wouldn’t be the best fit for her. I just thought that there were arguments in their future. He had issues which were not going to play well with me and then I discovered he favored vouchers for public schools. If you want to put money into anything, fully fund the public schools and that means higher teacher pay and lower student to teacher ratios. To say nothing about making the schools are not falling down on the students’ heads.
When I watched Walz, I thought what an intelligent, laid back person. I could see Harris and Walz working together on the issues that Harris wanted that and that he would support her. Walz appears to have a very team-oriented vibe that isn’t overcome with ego.
Walz reminds me of Joe Biden with his common man persona and has the benefit of actual military service as well as admirable teaching career.
Shapiro and Kamala are both former attorney generals and don’t complement each other the same way Walz and Kamala do.