Josh Shapiro Refuses to Address Vice Presidential Pick Rumors, Endorses Kamala Harris

Gov. Josh Shapiro neither confirmed nor denied his interest in becoming Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate on Monday, as speculation swirled around him and a handful of other potential candidates.

Shapiro, surrounded by national media at a news conference in Pittsburgh a day after President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and endorsed his vice president, said Harris will make a “deeply personal decision” about who she wants to campaign with and govern.

“She’ll make that decision when she’s ready,” Shapiro added. “That decision should be made, really, without any political pressure.”

The governor’s remarks were his first since his name topped the list of potential vice presidential candidates Harris is reportedly considering. Top Pennsylvania Democrats have been touting him as a top candidate for the job, hoping it will support them defeat former President Donald Trump in the key battleground state.

Shapiro, a former attorney general and Montgomery County commissioner, has repeatedly declined to say whether he is interested in the role, though he has emphasized the similarities between himself and Harris. Harris is also a former state attorney general, and Shapiro said they have known each other for nearly 20 years.

The governor also quickly campaigned for Harris — as a vice presidential candidate would, touting his personal success in winning cases against Trump as attorney general in 2020.

“We both stood up for the rule of law and have always stood with the people,” Shapiro said. “This is diametrically opposed to everything Donald Trump stands for.”

Shapiro, who is often circumspect and usually avoids sharing details of private conversations, said he spoke with Harris on Sunday with only one goal in mind: their shared mission to defeat Trump in November.

“She has been preparing for this and she is ready to go,” Shapiro added. “I am proud to stand with her, as are dozens of Democratic elected officials.”

Shapiro appeared in Pittsburgh with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a news conference unrelated to Harris’ candidacy. Unlike North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — considered leading candidates for vice president — Shapiro did not appear on Monday’s morning show.

The buzz around Shapiro has been growing since Philadelphia Democratic Party Chairman Bob Brady said Sunday that he was publicly pushing to put the governor’s name on the ticket. Other prominent Democrats have done the same, spreading the hashtag #HarrisShapiro, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton and House Speaker Jordan Harris, who both represent parts of Philadelphia.

” READ MORE: Who would take over if Josh Shapiro is chosen to replace Kamala Harris?

Shapiro joined a Zoom call with 67 of Pennsylvania’s Democratic county chairs Monday to endorse Harris, reiterating his support for Harris and noting some of their similarities.

After the hearing, several precinct chairs, including Brady and the precinct chairs from Montgomery, Blair, Westmoreland and Crawford counties, unanimously said they supported adding Shapiro to the list of candidates, participants said.

The Zoom chat was full of “Harris-Shapiro 2024!” comments. And in a half-dozen interviews with Pennsylvania delegates Monday, every conversation about Harris turned into support for Shapiro.

The Rev. Mark Tyler, a delegate, pastor and community organizer from Philadelphia, said that of all the “huge names in the Democratic constellation,” Shapiro “talks about what Harris needs and who can provide it.”

“I know it’s probably sooner than his own timeline that he envisioned, but if he were asked, I certainly would hope he would say yes,” said Tyler, who said he has a close relationship with Shapiro. “I honestly can’t imagine a better person to do for her what she did for Joe Biden, what Joe Biden did for Barack Obama.”