Governor Josh Shapiro on Thursday denied that antisemitism played a role in the decision by Vice President Kamala Harris to skip over him in favor of Governor Tim Walz in her bid to find a running mate for the 2024 presidential election.
Shapiro made the remarks to German-owned Politico from the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, where he delivered a speech on Wednesday.
“Antisemitism played absolutely no role in the dialogue I had with the vice president,” said Shapiro, who is Jewish and a vocal supporter of Israel.
The remarks by Shapiro appear to contradict speculation the Harris campaign opted against selecting the Pennsylvania governor due to concerns about Muslim voters in other states, especially in Michigan, where a progressive group critical of the Biden-Harris administration’s Israel policy called the governor an unacceptable choice.
After Walz was selected, Republican U.S. Senate nominee Dave McCormick said it was “hard to imagine that Josh’s strong stand on Israel, his Jewish background didn’t somehow factor into the decision.”
The sentiments were shared by Republican U.S. House candidate Alfe Goodwin in remarks made to The Pennsylvania Daily Star last week, when the 22-year U.S. Army veteran said the Harris campaign likely considered Shapiro a difficult choice for Michigan voters to accept.
“With Governor Shapiro, because he is pro-Israel… forget Michigan, right? [Harris] knew that she could forget Michigan with Shapiro,” Goodwin told The Daily Star. “It just wasn’t going to happen.”
While the governor maintained antisemitism did not impact the vice president’s decision, Shapiro nonetheless told Politico that people told him they felt targeted as a result of antisemitism in the United States.
“When someone tells you that they want to be proud of their faith and they feel like they can’t be that’s upsetting,” the governor told the outlet.
Shapiro also said during the interview that reports about his poor relationship with Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) are overblown.
“Folks have made too much of this,” Shapiro told the outlet. The governor added, “We’re good.”
Fetterman publicly lobbied against Shapiro when he was under consideration to become Harris’ running mate, with his office reportedly warning the Harris campaign the governor harbors “excessive” political ambitions that would exclusively serve his “personal” interests.
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Josh Shapiro” by Josh Shapiro.
