HARRISBURG — Even though he won’t be running for vice president this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s time on the nationally debated “short list” of possible running mates for the likely Democratic presidential nominee has only helped him, some Democratic observers say.
“I can see him running in four years, for president,” said Tameko Patterson, chairperson of the Monroe County Democratic Committee. “He is well-liked.”
Vice President Kamala Harris, who officially earned the Democratic nomination late Monday, went in another direction with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz after weeks in which Mr. Shapiro was thought to be one of the favorites.
In a statement posted to X on Tuesday, Mr. Shapiro said, “As I’ve said repeatedly over the past several weeks, the running mate decision was a deeply personal decision for the Vice President — and it was also a deeply personal decision for me. Pennsylvania elected me to a four-year term as their Governor, and my work here is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for the good people of this Commonwealth.”
My work here in Pennsylvania is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for our Commonwealth.
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) August 6, 2024
Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat… pic.twitter.com/Mkc1isQTo9
The 18-month governor of an important swing state did not publicly ask to be considered. But his public statements basically shouted “read between the lines” on the vice-presidential concept.
For instance, on July 23, Mr. Shapiro deflected any notion he was a serious contender for the Democratic vice presidential slot, but at the same time attacked former president and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump full-bore. Mr. Shapiro said that during his time as Pennsylvania attorney general, “I spent more time with my team in court trying to protect people’s rights, because Donald Trump was trying to rip them away.”
And on Friday, he attacked Trump again and called Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, a “phony baloney.”
Mr. Shapiro’s up-and-comer national image is directly tied to the state image he has cultivated along his path from Montgomery County commissioner to attorney general to governor.
Lori McFarland, Lehigh County Democratic Committee chairperson, said Mr. Shapiro is a strong orator, level-headed, and has shown via his governance with a split Legislature that he can work with both parties.
The fact he was not picked by Ms. Harris, Ms. McFarland said, is in some ways a relief for Pennsylvanians. In the Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, she said, lots of people talk about Mr. Shapiro’s energy. As much as many wanted to see Mr. Shapiro get picked by Ms. Harris, Ms. McFarland said, “We want to keep him.”
One political measuring stick for Pennsylvania governors is the perception of how well they did in creating and approving a state budget, including how timely the process was.
On timing, Mr. Shapiro’s first year of 2023 was bumpy. The fiscal year was more than a month old when he signed the main spending bill, and some pieces were left incomplete as late as December. This year was a major improvement, with the signing happening only 11 days into the fiscal year.
“Walz represents the safest choice of running mates for Vice President Harris in many ways,” said Lew Irwin, a political science professor at Duquesne University. “Among the three reported finalists for the bottom of the ticket, Tim Walz would seem to make it the easiest to maintain the Democratic Party unity that we have seen since President Biden stepped down as the nominee.”
Mr. Irwin said Mr. Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly were “likely to bring some challenges to the ticket with respect to labor unions.”
“And for some reason Josh Shapiro had attracted the strongest and most negative reaction from the pro-Gaza left in the party,” he added. “Shapiro’s handling of the Vereb allegations also might cause some problems within the party. Ultimately, it’s likely that these factors outweighed Shapiro’s obvious strength in terms of likely electoral vote impact.”
"Certainly, there was a backlash among progressives against Shapiro, and they let that be known; there was no backlash against Walz," said Christopher Borick, a political science professor and pollster at Muhlenberg College. "Walz is a comfortable fit for her. A lot of his past policies please progressives but his style has appeal to more of the center. That's what his biggest attribute is.”
Others have different takes on Mr. Shapiro’s brief time leading Pennsylvania. Rep. Seth Grove, R-York and the top Republican on the House Appropriations Committee, said the two budgets signed by Mr. Shapiro have wiped out what was an $8 billion budget surplus and raised the specter of unsustainable spending.
He referred to it as “D.C. spending” but with the difference that leaders of Pennsylvania “can’t print money.”
The message was similar from Republicans in the Senate.
“Kamala Harris is the top of the ticket and no matter who she chose for vice president, they would adopt her platform,” said Republican state senate president pro tempore Kim Ward. “Although Shapiro was not selected as the vice-presidential nominee, he will still be responsible as the governor of an important swing state for endorsing an agenda on behalf of the democrats that includes illegal immigrants entering our country, the increase flow of fentanyl across our border, more crime on our streets, banning of our natural resources, and escalating inflation including increased energy and grocery prices. A Harris/Walz ticket is more California than Pennsylvania, and no guarantee for a Pennsylvania win this November.”
David McCormick, the Republican former hedge fund CEO running for U.S. Senate, said in a statement that the “Harris-Walz is the most liberal presidential ticket in history. A vote for Border Czar Harris, Walz, and weak Bob Casey is a vote for another four years of open borders, sky high inflation, destroying energy jobs in the commonwealth, defunding the police, and stripping Americans of their private health insurance. Pennsylvanians deserve strong leadership in Washington, and that’s why Republicans are going to win big this November.”
“I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” said Mr. Shapiro in his statement. “Lori and I consider Tim and Gwen to be good friends of ours and we are excited for them and for the country to get to know the great people we know them to be. Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind Kamala Harris’ campaign to defeat Donald Trump, become the 47th President of the United States, and build a better future for our country.”
Ford Turner: fturner@post-gazette.com
First Published: August 6, 2024, 2:31 p.m.
Updated: August 7, 2024, 12:19 a.m.
