Josh Shapiro spoke at Harris-Walz debate event

Governor Josh Shapiro spent debate night as a key surrogate for Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking at the Harris-Walz campaign debate night and appearing in the spin room.

“After Kamala Harris launched her case against Donald Trump tonight, they remember,” Shapiro told reporters in the Spin Room after the debate in Philadelphia. “They remember the chaos. They remember the way he stripped people of their basic liberties, particularly the liberties of women in this country.”

As a popular governor in a key battleground state, the Montgomery County native became Harris’ campaign’s chief cheerleader. His standout performance on debate night signaled he would continue in that role through Election Day.

“I will continue to come out and talk about someone I have known for almost 20 years, someone who I think is incredibly well-prepared to serve as the 47th president of the United States, someone who will be great for Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said.

Speaking to a immense crowd of reporters at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, next to a gaunt blue banner reading “SHAPIRO” marking his place among a crowd of surrogates, Shapiro argued that former President Donald Trump had done little to win over undecided voters.

“For Donald Trump to have a chance, he has to stop creating ‘others’ in our society and attacking other people,” Shapiro said. “Look, I’ve been someone he’s attacked in the past. Of course he’s still attacking the vice president. That doesn’t help him convince people who are undecided that he has the kind of consistency, that he has the kind of compassion and the ability to bring people together in a way that allows us to move our country forward.”

Shapiro also acknowledged that Harris provoked Trump into becoming aggressive or repeating lies on stage.

“You know this guy can’t focus on anything, which makes him very, very dangerous,” Shapiro said of Trump. Harris, referring to his rallies and supporters leaving early, touched on a sore point, Shapiro said. “It’s insulting to point that out to him because he’s only thinking about himself. He’s not thinking about the American people.”

Still, the state’s governor, who was considered to be Harris’ vice presidential candidate, said he still predicts an extremely close race in Pennsylvania.

“Gaining those last few yards to get into the end zone is really, really tough. The good news is that what Kamala Harris did tonight, showing Donald Trump as the chaotic figure that she represents for this community and this country… I think she has the wind at her back and I think she helped herself in a big way tonight.”

Earlier that evening, Shapiro attended a Harris campaign event at the Cherry Street Pier in Old City before the debate began at the National Constitution Center.

Once a leading candidate to replace Harris, Shapiro is currently campaigning to canvass for Vice President and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whom Harris ultimately chose as her No. 2 candidate the moment that choice became official, delivering a speech at a rally in Philadelphia where Harris and Walz made their debuts as candidates.

Shapiro is no stranger to attacks from Trump, as the former president has repeatedly verbally abused the governor, even after he was passed over as Harris’ vice presidential candidate.

Trump called Shapiro a “highly overrated Jewish governor” on Truth Social after Shapiro’s prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention, adding that Shapiro “has done nothing for Israel.” Trump’s vice presidential candidate, J.D. Vance, has repeatedly suggested that Shapiro was not chosen as Harris’ running mate because of his Jewish faith.

In response, Shapiro said Trump is “fascinated” by him and that the former president promotes “anti-Semitic stereotypes.”

“Jewish elected officials care about a lot of things, like … how do we make sure our kids get a quality education, how do we keep our streets safe, how do we create opportunity,” Shapiro said. “And yes, we care about Israel. But last I checked, the job of governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania did not involve foreign policy toward Israel.”