Announcement Could Be Made Over the Weekend –

By Glynn Wilson –

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Democrats in Pennsylvania are bullish on their popular governor Josh Shapiro, whose moderate views on some issues might not be hugely popular on the far left around the country, but also to some extent isolates him from some of the more strident criticism from the far right.

He’s thought to be a leading contender to be chosen in the next few days by Kamala Harris to be her pick as her vice presidential running mate, with only a week to go before the ticket should be announced August 7 in time for final voting by delegates to the party’s national convention in late August.

Shapiro had been touring his home state in a potential preview of what he could provide the Harris campaign in that critical, must win state. Shapiro’s favorable rating in Pennsylvania is 61 percent, according to one poll, compared to just 32 percent unfavorable. Even 30 percent of Donald Trump supporters said they liked him. He also led Trump by 10 points in a hypothetical matchup as the party’s nominee, as we reported Tuesday.

Who Will Make the Final Cut as Vice Presidential Running Mate for Kamala Harris?

Now it is being reported that Shapiro just canceled appearances in three fund-raising events through the Hamptons over the weekend to raise money for his own campaign committee. Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to announce her running mate selection by Tuesday in a first appearance before a campaign swing through seven battle ground states, fueling speculation that Shapiro is being groomed now to stand by her side at that event.

The Shapiro team had hoped the cancellation would not be made public until later in the week, according to the New York Times, but the news began to get out on Thursday, according to two people close to the governor who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change publicly.

“The governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fund-raisers for his own campaign committee,” said Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for Shapiro. “His schedule has changed, and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”

Michael Kempner, who was supposed to host one of the events for Shapiro’s campaign committee, said he had been told that Shapiro needed to be with his family in Pennsylvania. Another event was a “summer soiree” expected to be held for a liberal youth-advocacy organization called The Next 50, where Shapiro was marketed as a “special guest.”

Speculation about Shapiro has risen after Harris’s campaign said she would reveal her VP choice at a rally in Philadelphia next week – in his home state- which will kick off a series of events in battleground states.

Democrats in Gettysburg were tight-lipped when asked about the chances of Shapiro being picked for VP over the weekend, but smiled a little knowing smile while refusing to comment publicly.

Shapiro has both considerable strengths and potential drawbacks as a candidate, according to reporting by the new Newsweek, brought back from the dead after going out of business in the blogging era.

Shapiro is very popular in his home state, an important battleground state. Shapiro is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party. He’s seen as charismatic and a gifted orator.

Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes will be critical to a Republican or a Democrat who expects to come out ahead in the Electoral College in November.

Former President Donald Trump had been leading by a small margin within the margin of error there over Biden and Harris, according to a compilation of polls put together by The Washington Post. But since the announcement that Present Joe Biden would step aside and endorsed Harris, the state is now seen as a virtual dead heat. The latest poll has the race there tied 49-49 percent.

Shapiro is viewed as fairly moderate, which could be an asset in courting traditional Democrats and independent voters. Some Republicans have indicated that Shapiro is the candidate they find most formidable, according to reporting by NBC.

Shapiro won the governorship in a 2022 landslide over the Trump-backed state Senator Doug Mastriano, a far right MAGA firebrand. He then gained national prominence and plaudits the following year for his handling of a major bridge collapse. Shapiro’s leadership was also praised by both Republicans and Democrats following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Shapiro affirmed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself following the October 7 Hamas attacks and has resisted calls for a cease-fire, yet he has previously been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the right-wing leader of Israel whose aggressive attacks in Gaza have infuriated the left, many who support Palestinian rights and consider the Israeli attacks overly aggressive, bordering on genocide.

The governor is Jewish, however, so his support for Israel is understandable. He has been a vocal critic of pro-Palestinian protests that swept college campuses across the country, which he has described as antisemitic. This could be a vulnerability with the party’s left wing and young voters Harris is trying to court. Yet he could be an asset to Harris here, helping to secure Jewish votes and giving her some balance. She had already gone further than President Biden on Gaza, promising in a speech that she will not be “silent” on suffering in the enclave after meeting with Netanyahu.

Sometimes the art of politics is like a dance between the two partisan sides, especially in a general election campaign for president. It all comes down to independent voters and key swing states. Feel free to quote me on that.

Shapiro has other potential drawbacks. A group of progressive leaders criticized him for not championing public education due to his support for private school vouchers and urged Harris to consider other candidates. He has also been criticized for his handling of sexual harassment claims against an aide.

Along with the Pennsylvania governor, other top contenders to join Harris on the ticket are believed to be Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Governor Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

In reading the tea leaves on the Veep parlor game, as the Washington Post put it: “Would Harris start a tour in Pennsylvania if she wasn’t planning to choose Gov. Josh Shapiro? It would feel like a slap in the face to Shapiro if she didn’t choose him.”

Not so, her team said, urging people not to read too much into the location. It is a key city in a swing state after all, and the location of the announcement is not always in the VP choice’s state. Still, Shapiro is said to be a leading contender. He’s a popular governor even during polarizing times. Pennsylvania politicos think he would easily deliver the state and its 19 electoral votes for Harris, especially by appealing to disaffected moderate Republican and independent voters. And he could give an additional boost to Senator Bob Casey’s reelection effort, helping Democrats to remain in the majority in the Senate.

Shapiro’s staunch support for Israel, however, could frustrate progressives and antiwar activists who had begun to come back into Harris’s fold — especially those in the must-win battleground state of Michigan, the center of the uncommitted vote movement because of anger toward President Biden over Israel. Progressive activists also have deep concerns about Shapiro’s support of school vouchers, corporate tax cuts and fracking.

While Shapiro could alienate the far left, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz could further excite them with his liberal record as governor on green energy, free meals in schools and allowing felons to vote. He also ensured a woman’s right to an abortion in the state, which is likely to be a key electoral issue.

Walz has proven himself to be an excellent messenger who has effectively and simply referred to Republicans as “weird.” The word has caught on widely; it’s hard to talk to a Democrat these days without them using the term “weird.”

The two-term Minnesota governor has also been on cable news nonstop, which is part of the vetting process, showing how effective he is at defending Harris and his policies that have moved the state to the left.

Walz does have more than a decade-long career in the House, however, which gives Republicans a trove of votes and floor statements to dig up that can be used against him. Plus, Minnesota isn’t necessarily a battleground state, even though Trump has insisted it’s in play. Walz, with his Midwest appeal, could easily endear himself in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, states that are in play.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear is another person who has been in the mix, as a centrist governor from a ruby-red state.

“There’s no way he is going to deliver Kentucky,” the Post says, “but, just like Walz, he could appeal to White, Midwest voters. We don’t think she’ll choose him. But we could be wrong!”

Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona is another person who has been in the mix. But expectations that he will be chosen have been dropping. He is not a union favorite. He was not an original sponsor of the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, often a litmus test among unions because it makes it easier to form and join a union. But just last week, as vice-presidential speculation ramped up, he said he’d support it.

Kelly was able to win two Senate races in a purple state in consecutive elections to finish McCain’s term and to serve his own. Kelly might be able to help Harris deliver Arizona, but it’s unlikely his appeal would extend to other states, including neighboring Nevada.

And, Kelly has a strong biography. He’s a former astronaut. His wife, former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, was severely injured in a shooting and has since launched an influential gun-control organization.

An 11th-hour possibility mentioned is Senator Gary Peters of Michigan, another key swing state. Peters is a strong union advocate. The chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, responsible for electing Democrats to the Senate, is likely to have been floated as a nod to both of those key constituencies, “but he’s not going to be the nominee,” the Post staff declares unequivocally.

“Vice-presidential nominees rarely win elections for a presidential nominee. But they can help lose elections,” they say. Remember Sarah Palin in 2008? “Picking up voters is a plus, but most importantly the running mate should do no harm.”

Shapiro, who like Harris is a former state attorney general, brings a proven record of building broad coalitions across perhaps the most critical swing state. And Shapiro and Harris have known each other for years. In 2006, Harris, then the San Francisco district attorney, and Shapiro, then a state representative, were tapped for a prestigious program for rising stars in American politics. They have remained in touch.

That could be the clincher.

Add From Politico

ZEROING IN ON A NUMBER TWO — Running mates are generally subjected to a lengthy and intrusive process measured in months. Harris is doing it in two weeks. ERIC HOLDER’s team at Covington & Burling wrapped up the vetting process and turned over its materials to Harris yesterday, per the NYT. Harris will meet with finalists this weekend.

A top Harris campaign official who talked to several of Harris’s running mate prospects said, “They thought the process was quick but thorough.”

Harris needs to make her choice before a joint rally planned in Philadelphia on Tuesday. As with the president, Harris is not known for lightning fast decisions. Some people who have worked for her think the tight deadline is a blessing.

“She likes to deliberate,” said a senior White House official who has spent many hours with her. “So the fact that she has this super-compressed window is going to force her to only focus on what really matters here.”

WHAT MATTERS: In conversations on Thursday with White House officials, Harris campaign aides, Democratic senators and members of Congress, a few themes emerged about what Harris values in this process.

— Winning. The overwhelming sentiment among Democrats is that Harris will be ruthless about picking someone to help her defeat Donald Trump.

“The No. 1 criterion is, can you help the ticket win?” said the campaign official. “This is a cycle where you have to consider the electoral consequences.”

That may sound obvious, but even progressive Democrats said that the emphasis on winning frees Harris from being overly concerned with interest-group special pleading and the potential hurt feelings of Democratic Party constituencies.

Teachers unions have raised concerns about Pennsylvania Gov. JOSH SHAPIRO’s position on school vouchers. United Auto Workers President SHAWN FAIN grumbled Thursday about “troubling” positions taken by Shapiro and Arizona Sen. MARK KELLY. But these are seen as idle threats.

“There are a few activists that are pains in the ass,” said a member of Congress close to labor. “But I don’t hear any serious threats.”

The UAW leader conceded Harris had free rein, telling the Detroit News the union would back the ticket no matter what: “At the end of the day, we have to defeat Donald Trump,” Fain said.

Several Democrats noted that they just 86ed their struggling nominee, and Harris this week fully embraced the Senate border bill despised by the left. The party, they say, is organized around one idea: making sure Trump doesn’t return to the Oval Office. With that in mind, they argue that Harris looks to be on a path to pick a moderate with the least baggage of the cultural left — a thought exercise that often leads those guessing back to Shapiro and Kelly.

— Playing against type. A common argument from Harris aides and ex-aides is that her reputation as a leftie comes almost entirely from the 2020 presidential primaries, when she took several positions that Trump has seized on but which she has abandoned. “That primary was a distorting experience for a lot of people,” said the senior White House official.

Starting in her 2003 DA race in San Francisco, Harris was the choice of the establishment running against opponents on the left. Her decision to become a prosecutor was itself a surprise to some who knew her at the time — and a disappointment to some East Bay activists.

“She likes the imagery of playing against type, zigging when she’s expected to zag,” the White House official argued. “Knowing that the No. 1 attack on her is ‘California liberal,’ I could see her finding appeal in balancing herself with a genial southern white governor with an accent.” They meant Kentucky Gov. ANDY BESHEAR, but a similar logic could apply to Kelly and Shapiro. On this measure, the moderates in contention (Beshear, Shapiro and Kelly) have the edge over the liberals (Govs. JB PRITZKER of Illinois and TIM WALZ of Minnesota).

— ‘A good vibe.’ The Democrats who know Harris best focus more on her comfort level with a potential running mate as the ultimate deciding factor. Sen. LAPHONZA BUTLER (D-Calif.), a longtime Harris friend and adviser, told the NYT, “it’s going to come down to who can she have a relationship with, who can have the hard conversations with her.” She added, “you got to do more than just tolerate them. There has to be some genuine like and care and a good vibe.”

That makes this weekend’s interviews crucial. “She likes to feel comfortable with the most important staff people around her,” said the White House official. “And that’s a challenge because it’s not like she’s super close with any of these guys.”

___
If you support truth in reporting with no paywall, and fearless writing with no popup ads or sponsored content, consider making a contribution today with GoFundMe or Patreon or PayPal.