Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro Hyped As Possible Kamala Harris Running Mate

Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is reportedly vetting as a running mate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a rising Democratic star who could help deliver the party the largest northern swing state.

Shapiro is one of several Democratic governors, including Kentucky’s Andy Beshear and Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, on the vice president’s rumored shortlist since becoming Democrats’ presumptive presidential nominee. He has largely positioned himself as a moderate and could help Harris break through in a state that Donald Trump’s campaign sees as a must-win after the former president’s loss there four years ago.

His potential drawbacks, though, include a staunchly pro-Israel stance that’s at odds with younger, more liberal voters, as well as breaking with the state’s largest teachers’ union over private-school vouchers.

Shapiro, 51, has long been considered a politician bound for higher office, even before being elected governor in 2022.

“He’s a bit of a ladder climber. He doesn’t stick around in most positions very long,” Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) told HuffPost. “He’s been forthright that he wants to be the first Jewish president.”

For six years, he served as Pennsylvania attorney general, earning national attention for rooting out sexual abuse in the Catholic Church and for helping broker a billion-dollar settlement against opioid manufacturers.

“He’s been on the opioid crisis, and recognizing the ravages that our country has suffered as a result of folks like Purdue, the Sacklers and others,” Rep. Maddie Dean (D-Pa.) told HuffPost.

“He went after the Catholic Church when they covered up an extraordinarily grotesque set of abuses of children,” Dean said. “He’s not afraid to do these things.”

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