Gov. Josh Shapiro Endorses Joe Biden

HARRISBURG — As more Democrats call on President Joe Biden to end his re-election campaign, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday he still supports the president.

Shapiro has been a staunch Biden supporter and a sturdy surrogate, even as his name was being floated as a potential candidate to succeed Biden in the Democratic primary and challenge former President Donald Trump in November.

Asked Thursday if he had changed his mind about Biden’s chances of winning, Shapiro told The Inquirer he believes Biden can be re-elected and serve another four-year term.

“I have made my position clear,” Shapiro said. “I believe Donald Trump is an existential threat to this country, and I will do everything in my power politically, as I have said many times, to both highlight the differences and show how dangerous Donald Trump would be.”

The Inquirer briefly captured Shapiro in a hallway at the state Capitol as lawmakers finalized a state budget deal. He said on PennLive on Sunday.after meeting with Biden at a Harrisburg coffee shop, he said he believed Biden needed to make his case to the people of Pennsylvania.

“I’ll just say this,” Shapiro said. “The president has made it clear that he’s continuing in this race. The president has an obligation to assure the good people of Pennsylvania and the people of this country that he can beat Donald Trump.”

The further endorsement for Shapiro came a day after former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “it’s up to the president to decide” whether he stays in the race, and after a growing number of Democrats called for him to step down following his impoverished performance in a June 27 debate with Trump.

Several Democratic state representatives, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia), also endorsed Biden at a campaign event Thursday outside the state Capitol.

Many members of Pennsylvania’s Democratic congressional delegation, including Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, have also sided with the president over the past two weeks. Others have been less supportive, including U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan, who represents Chester County and said Monday she was “still considering it.”