Democratic leaders in Pennsylvania are rallying around their governor, Josh Shapiro, as a compelling contender to be Kamala Harris’ running mate.
Pennsylvania is a must-win state for Harris, and Shapiro has shown he can win there: He beat Republican Doug Mastriano by 15 percentage points in the 2022 governor’s race, and as the Democrats’ candidate for attorney general, he outperformed Joe Biden in Pennsylvania in 2020.
That’s the pitch Democratic leaders in the state are making both publicly and privately.
Former Rep. and current Philadelphia Democratic Party Chair Bob Brady publicly endorsed Shapiro as VP just hours after Biden dropped out of the race. He also made the case Monday on a call with the state’s Democratic county chairs.
Brady told NOTUS that Shapiro is a “no-brainer” over other leading contenders like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. To him, the decision comes down to numbers: Pennsylvania has more Democratic delegates and more electoral votes than either of the states.
“Everyone talks about Pennsylvania being the path to the presidency,” he said. “It’s all a numbers game.”
Rep. Matt Cartwright told reporters Monday that he’s pushing for Shapiro as VP and has communicated that to the Harris campaign. Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton also publicly pushed for Shapiro.
“Gov. Josh Shapiro would be an excellent choice to get with independent voters, to persuade moderate Republican voters,” McClinton told The Keystone Newsroom in an interview on Sunday. “Given his electoral success in a battleground state like Pennsylvania, he would be a natural choice.”
Shapiro himself appeared on the call with county chairs, pushing for the group to endorse Harris. They did so unanimously. After Shapiro left the Zoom meeting, the discussion shifted to Shapiro himself. State party Chair Sharif Street didn’t go so far as to endorse him for VP, but three sources on the call said that he had “endorsed the idea” of a Harris-Shapiro ticket.
Street’s approach — public praise but no full-throated endorsement — is the path that most Pennsylvania lawmakers appear to be taking, at least for now.
“Josh is a friend, Pete Buttigieg is a friend of mine for 20 years, Mark Kelly is a friend. I think they’re all great; I do not want to get into a position in which I’m dancing one over another,” Democratic Rep. Brendan Boyle said.
As for others’ pitch that Shapiro on the ticket means a better chance for Democrats in his state, Boyle said it helps, but that’s not the only factor.
“People vote for the top of the ticket, not the bottom of the ticket. The only exception to that in my lifetime, Sarah Palin, who was such a bad pick that hurt [John] McCain because people drew negative conclusions about his judgment,” he said.
“But I have to say, with that one glaring exception, at the end of the day, this race will be between Donald Trump and everything he represents and Kamala Harris.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean said she’s “a huge fan” of Shapiro and “that there’s no smarter guy around.”
Both from Montgomery County, they’ve known each other for years. When Shapiro stepped down, Dean won Shapiro’s seat in the state legislature. Dean had nothing but praise for Shapiro and the job he would do, but she stopped short of endorsing him.
“I don’t want to interfere with the process of Vice President Harris,” Dean said. “She has to discern who she believes it’s best for this ticket, best to be a governing partner with her.”
“I think [Shapiro] would be a superb choice. But it’s not my place to endorse, at this point.”
Rep. Chris Deluzio, a freshman member in a frontline district in western Pennsylvania, said Shapiro would be a great asset — but also wouldn’t endorse.
“She’s got some good choices. It’s a personal one for her to make, but she could do a lot worse than Gov. Shapiro,” he said.
Asked about the VP slot on Monday, Shapiro didn’t deny reports that he’s spoken with Harris about it.
“It’s a decision she needs to make, who she wants to govern with, who she wants to campaign with, and who can be there to serve alongside her,” he said. “She will make that decision when she is ready. And I have all the confidence in the world that she will make that decision along with many others in the best interest of the American people.”
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Katherine Swartz is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.