Pennsylvania Democratic treasurer Erin McClelland wants Cooper to be vice president, not Shapiro

While many Pennsylvania Democrats are publicly advocating for Gov. Josh Shapiro to become Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, at least one is promoting an alternative — and attacking Shapiro.

Erin McClelland, the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania treasurer, tweeted her support for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday evening — echoing Shapiro’s criticism.

“I want a vice presidential candidate who is confident enough to be the second woman to run, who is happy to be vice president and who doesn’t make it harder for the president to make his choices and who doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug.” McClelland wrote on X.

McClelland was likely referring to the sexual harassment scandal in Shapiro’s office last year. Shapiro’s top legislative liaison was accused of sexual harassment, and the governor’s office quietly reached a $295,000 settlement with the accuser. The liaison, Mike Vereb, did not resign until months after the internal complaint was filed, documents show, and Shapiro has been criticized for his administration’s handling of the scandal.

It’s scarce for candidates running for office to speak out against the top Democrat in their state, when they likely will need his support to win in November.

Shapiro’s office has consistently declined to comment on personnel matters, but says it has “robust procedures” to investigate reports of discrimination or harassment.

A spokesman for Shapiro declined to comment.

State Sen. Sharif Street, the chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, responded to McClelland’s comments during a news conference Wednesday morning in North Philadelphia, saying he was “offended” by the tweet and that he intended to discuss it with her privately.

Responding to McClelland’s comments about the governor’s camaraderie with women, Street praised Shapiro for his first-term accomplishments in partnership with House and Senate leaders.

“Every day when [Shapiro] he gets up, talks to the president and the president pro tempore[ore],” Street said, referring to the titles of Rep. Joanna McClinton and Sen. Kim Ward, two top officials in their chambers. “Governor Shapiro has demonstrated an effective ability to work with them, and I find the suggestion to the contrary deeply offensive.”

Street made the comments with Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta at an event supporting Harris’ candidacy. Both lawmakers said that while Harris’ choice as second-in-command was ultimately personal, they strongly supported adding Shapiro to the list of candidates.

“We know Josh Shapiro would be a fantastic choice. I hope he’s considered,” Kenyatta said. “But obviously Vice President Harris knows what she’s doing.”

McClelland’s campaign is run by Chuck Pascal, chairman of the Armstrong County Democratic Party. He led the effort to formally oppose the state Democratic Party’s private school vouchers, which Shapiro supports. (The party ultimately postponed the vote, citing concerns from the national party that Pennsylvania Democrats would be divided against their governor in a contentious 2024 election.) Pascal also represented Vereb’s accuser in the settlement negotiations.