Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General and a prominent candidate for the state’s governor, did not attend President Joe Biden’s appearance in the state, citing an unexplained “scheduling conflict.”
The scheduling issue comes as President Biden’s poll numbers continue to drop. According to the latest numbers, compiled by Reuters, only 45 percent of individuals approve of his job performance.
“It’s a sad state of affairs for Pennsylvania Democrats when even their hand-picked candidate, Josh Shapiro, would rather be anywhere else in the world than in Pittsburgh with Joe Biden,” said RGA Spokesperson Chris Gustafson. “Shapiro can only hide for so long as his record is tied directly to the disastrous policies of Joe Biden and Tom Wolf, who’ve left Pennsylvania families with record inflation, bare shelves, and persistent unemployment.”
Originally, Shapiro was not the only prominent Democrat to snub the president. Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman initially signaled that he would also be absent. However, after a dangerous collapse of a bridge, Fetterman met Biden at the scene of the accident.
Seemingly, the decision did not impact Shapiro among members of his own party. The Pennsylvania Democratic Party unanimously endorsed his gubernatorial campaign just a couple of days later:
I am humbled to have been unanimously endorsed by the @PADems — and I am proud of our party’s unity.
We’re focused on November, and we’re in this together. Let's win. pic.twitter.com/3Ttd6qPMx5
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) January 30, 2022
In the Senate race, the state party did not endorse Fetterman or opponent Congressman Connor Lamb, although Lamb received the overwhelming number of votes.
However, in a troubling sign for Biden, Shapiro is not the first individual to avoid an appearance with the commander-in-chief. In Georgia, Stacy Abrams ditched a Biden speech in the state, also citing a “scheduling conflict.”
The latest poll from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that only 33 percent of residents in the state approve of Biden’s performance, with a staggering 71 percent describing the country as “things are off on the wrong track.”
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Cooper Moran is a reporter for The Star News Network. Follow Cooper on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Josh Shapiro” by National Association of Attorneys General. Background Photo “Joe Biden” by The White House.
