Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro broke his silence about not joining the 2024 Democratic ticket as the vice presidential candidate — with sources attributing presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ snub to her fear that he would steal the “spotlight” and alienate the party’s progressive base over his support for Israel.
Shapiro said Harris and her “exceptionally strong” VP pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, had his “enthusiastic support” — and added that his work was “far from finished” in Pennsylvania.
“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,” he said in a statement posted on X.
Political consultant Hank Sheinkopf told The Post that Shapiro was too hot to pick as Harris’ running mate because of his pro-Israel record, and that Waltz was a safer choice.
“The ticket would have been too pro-Israel. Harris doesn’t need a battle over Israel-Gaza,” said Sheinkopf, who worked on Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign.
Democrats are not as reflexively pro-Israel as in the past, he noted, and Harris needs the votes of pro-Palestinian progressives who are highly critical of Israel.
“She has to keep the progressives in the fold,” Sheinkopf said.
That sentiment was also expressed by several Republican lawmakers — including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Walz’s opponent, GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance.
“I think that clearly was a major factor, is that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential nominee on the ticket with Jewish heritage because they’re having a split in the Democratic Party,” Johnson said in an interview with the Hill following Harris’ announcement.
“They have a pro-Palestinian, in some cases pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party. Sadly for Josh Shapiro, because of his heritage, I think that is the reason he was overlooked,” he added.
“I genuinely feel bad that for days, maybe weeks, [Shapiro] actually had to run away from his Jewish heritage because of what the Democrats are saying about [him],” Vance told The Post on Tuesday.
“The fact that that race — the vice presidential race on the Democratic side — became so focused on his ethnicity, I think it’s absolutely disgraceful, and it’s insulting to Americans, whatever background you’re from,” he added.
Earlier Tuesday, Vance predicted that a Shapiro snub would occur “out of antisemitism in their own caucus and in their own party” during an interview the GOP veep pick did with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.
But another Democratic operative who spoke with The Post dismissed the notion of anti-Israel sentiment playing a role.
“I think if the flak he’d taken regarding Israel had been a stronger consideration, he wouldn’t have made it this far at all,” the operative said of Shapiro.
The Biden-Harris administration has nonetheless faced plummeting support from Muslim and Arab Americans over its backing of the Israeli government in its war in Gaza against Hamas.
Nearly 20% of Democratic primary voters in Minnesota, for example, declined to vote for President Biden and put down “uncommitted” in protest of US support for Israel’s war effort.
Others had also previously speculated that the Jewish governor was facing opposition for his pro-Israel stance or outright antisemitism from within his own party, with critics from the left flank smearing Shapiro as “Genocide Josh.”
“These Progressives don’t want a Jew. Let’s say it out loud,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said in response to reports of backlash to Shapiro, who has both defended Israel against its critics and admonished some members of the Israeli government over its settlements in the West Bank.
Even the governor tried to distance himself from an op-ed he wrote as a college student that divulged his former service in the Israel Defense Forces as a volunteer and characterization of Palestinians as opposed to peace talks.
“I was 20,” Shapiro said when first asked for comment last week on the article.
Shapiro in his Tuesday statement characterized the decision as “deeply personal” on both of their parts — but one the Democratic operative also told The Post that Harris was aware the Pennsylvania governor could outshine her.
“My honest sense is that Harris had a concern that Shapiro would overshadow her and be the spotlight of the ticket here,” the operative said, confirming earlier reports of the younger Democrat’s ability to upstage some of his party’s national leaders.
“What this pick came down to was, more or less, vibes,” the operative added, describing Walz’s as a “Midwestern do-no-harm vibe.”
Shapiro was passed over three days after a puzzling video already describing him as Harris’ No. 2 leaked online from the X account of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.
It also came after Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) privately relayed an “unvarnished assessment” to the Harris campaign that Shapiro was laser-focused on his own personal ambitions, Politico reported, which he observed during their time together on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons.
Two other sources confirmed to Fox News that the Parker team’s video and Fetterman’s warning “solidified” Harris’ choice of Walz.
Some GOP candidates and lawmakers expressed relief at the decision.
“I would have preferred him to not be the choice,” said Pennsylvania Senate Republican candidate Dave McCormick. “It would’ve complicated things.”
“The pick of Tim Walz, which was announced this morning, is further evidence to me of national Democrats’ turn to the left,” added Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), implying the GOP could make inroads with more moderate voters “on pretty much every level.”
Former President Donald Trump in his first Truth Social post appeared elated following the pick, saying bluntly: “THANK YOU!”
