Gov. Josh Shapiro remains mum in Philadelphia on whether Kamala Harris is considering him for vice president

A stop at a youth basketball court in North Philadelphia on Tuesday turned into a de facto campaign event for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat considered on the vice presidential shortlist, who entered the facility as a dozen kids chanted, “Sha-pir-o!”

The governor didn’t say anything about his chances of becoming Kamala Harris’ running mate during Tuesday’s march through town, but his stops — a news conference with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a meeting with a group of children — were far from normal. Shapiro was greeted by a crowd of reporters amid expectations that Harris would choose her running mate in the coming days.

“The vice president now has a very personal decision to make: who she wants to run with and who she wants to govern with,” he said. “I trust that she will make that decision on her own terms when she is ready.”

Shapiro has repeatedly dodged questions and declined to say whether he is being vetted for the job. He said he has not spoken to Harris in more than a week, since President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid. The governor, however, would not say whether he has spoken to anyone from Harris’ campaign about the job.

The governor’s visit to the city came a day after two other Democratic governors — Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan and Roy Cooper of North Carolina — apparently withdrew from the race for the office, publicly declaring they intended to remain in their home states and that they had not been vetted.

Asked directly if he would withdraw from consideration of his candidacy, Shapiro again demurred, saying he would “not get into the hypothetical details of that.”

Reports suggest Shapiro is among a handful of major candidates, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Harris would likely start traveling with his candidate for vice president next Tuesday, which falls one day before the Democratic National Committee’s virtual vote on her nomination on Aug. 7.

Shapiro plans to attend two events this weekend in the Hamptons, including a Saturday fundraiser with a Democratic group and a Sunday lunch with Harris allies, according to a CNBC report.

” READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigns with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Montco as presidential election heats up

Before heading to the gym Tuesday, Shapiro popped into Yorktown’s North Broad Street to join U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to announce a new tool that aims to make it easier and cheaper to file taxes.

He used the opportunity to tout his own efforts to make government more efficient — such as speeding up the state permitting process — and drew parallels between Yellen, himself and the Biden-Harris administration.

“That’s how we do our job every day here in the Commonwealth,” he said. “That’s how the Biden administration operates, that’s how the Harris administration operates, and certainly that’s how the secretary operates.”

In comments to reporters Tuesday, Shapiro took on the traditional role of a vice presidential candidate, playing the attack dog, making it a point to attack Republican candidates. He said that former President Donald Trump and his vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, are “very nervous about going up against [Harris].”

“It’s hard to be authentic when you’re not honest with yourself,” Shapiro said of Vance, indirectly referring to his anti-Trump comments. rookie senator, years ago. “He’s full of all that and he knows it, and I think that’s why he has a hard time being authentic and real when he tries to talk to the American people.”

He continued: “But this election is not about JD Vance. This election is about the hazardous policies of Donald Trump.”

Though Shapiro has been tight-lipped about his political future, he seemed to relax as he met with a few dozen kids at the Alan Horwitz Sixth Man Center who participate in the Philadelphia Youth Basketball program, a nonprofit that aims to break the cycle of poverty through involvement in sports.

Shapiro engaged in a heated debate with a group of kids about who the GOAT was—the greatest of all time—saying he thought it was Michael Jordan. Some kids disagreed, suggesting LeBron James or the late Kobe Bryant.

During a tour of the facility with the adult hosts, Shapiro — a former high school basketball star known as a devoted Sixers fan — looked out over a balcony at children playing on the court below.

“I will be touched,” he said, clutching his chest.

He asked about the violence-prevention money the center receives from the state and offered some more playful suggestions, such as ensuring that kids learn “how to insult the Celtics.”

When he got to the gym to shoot, Shapiro took off his jacket and put on a PYB T-shirt to the delight of the kids.

He made one of four shots from just three points away.

Inquirer reporters Aliya Schneider and Katie Bernard contributed to this article.