Shapiro May Not Have Wanted Vice Presidential Job
Governor Shapiro reportedly called Vice President Harris after their interview to express reservations about leaving Pennsylvania.
Following the announcement that Governor Walz would be Vice President Harrisâs running mate, fans of Governor Shapiro pointed fingers as to why he was passed over. Now, new reporting suggests Mr. Shapiro may not have wanted the job.
In the wake of the announcement, some Republicans accused the Democratic Party of antisemitism in passing over Mr. Shapiro, the popular governor of Pennsylvania. Others suggested that his positions on education, labor, corporate tax rates, or Israel and Palestine might have divided a Democratic voting base that has been seeing a surge in enthusiasm.
New reporting, though, suggests that Mr. Shapiro may not have been sure that he wanted to be vice president. One source with familiarity of the subject told ABC News that Mr. Shapiro called Ms. Harrisâs team after his in-person interview with her on Sunday to indicate that he had reservations about leaving Pennsylvania.
Other reporting has suggested that Mr. Shapiro may have come off as overly ambitious with regard to his own political fortunes during the running mate selection process. One Democratic adviser told CNN that Mr. Shapiro posed âvery specificâ questions about what decisions he would be included in making if he were to serve as vice president, whereas Mr. Walz reportedly struck a more deferential and cooperative tone in his interview.
The same source noted that Mr. Shapiro was seen as a rising political talent in the Democratic Party but that he seemed to be negotiating the position with Ms. Harris.
âShe wanted to make sure that people understood there are going to be times when youâll have great influence and there are going to be times when somethingâs happening and youâre told about it at the last minute,â one source familiar with the process told CNN. âShe said, âThatâs just the nature of the job and you have to be OK with that.ââ
Also, Mr. Shapiro has only served as governor of Pennsylvania for a year and a half. If he is re-elected, his second term would end in January 2031, which would be shortly before the beginning of 2032 presidential primaries.
