CNN anchor admits Shapiro on Harris ticket would have been 'slap in the face' to Democrat 'activist wing'

CNN anchor Audie Cornish suggested Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., wasn't chosen as Kamala Harris' running mate because it would have been a "slap in the face" to the "activist wing" of the Democratic Party, specifically those who participated in the college protests over the Israel-Hamas war.

"Tim Walz also spoke conciliatory towards those people. He said, look, that uncommitted vote is significant, and those people should be heard. So having that kind of response, I think, is probably more of an open door to the parts of the party that had been very frustrated with the Democrats," Cornish began, noting the uncommitted protest vote against President Biden during the Democratic primaries.

Harris selected Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., as her running mate on Tuesday. Shapiro was widely considered to be a frontrunner in the veepstakes, given his high approval rating as governor of a critical swing state.

Cornish said of Shapiro, "He’s also the face of the crackdown on the protests, right? He spoke very vehemently about those campus protests as being antisemitic. So I’m wondering if that’s the kind of thing that, again, for the activist wing of the party, they felt was a slap in the face."

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"I also think there are a lot of similarities in their actual positions, Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro, towards all of what you are talking about, the Israel-Hamas war, Netanyahu, that point to challenges based around the Pennsylvania governor’s faith," CNN host Kasie Hunt said.

Hunt added that Harris might have some regrets if the race comes down to Pennsylvania and former President Trump ends up winning.

"I think the thing about Shapiro, if this election