PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, ending his bid for reelection and soon a decades-long career in politics.
Many local Democrats are backing Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris as the new Democratic nominee for the White House — and potentially pushing for Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be her running mate.
In a statement, Shapiro said he has known Harris for nearly two decades, describing her as a “patriot worthy of our support.” He said the “best path forward” for Democrats would be to unite behind her.
“I will do everything I can to help Kamala Harris as the 47th President of the United States,” Shapiro said.
Does “everything” include joining the ticket? Shapiro has not publicly spoken about the possibility, but others have.
“It would be nice to see Josh Shapiro,” said Bob Brady, the chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party and a former U.S. congressman. “I mean, that will be a lock for Pennsylvania to get Josh Shapiro for vice president and get Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket. We’ll win that without question, and that will be a good thing to happen.”
Shapiro was with Harris when she made a campaign stop in Philadelphia earlier this month.
Other Democrats, like Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton, not so subtly suggested Shapiro join Harris on the ticket, using #HarrisShapiro2024 in some of her social media posts.
Other Democratic governors have been mentioned as potential Harris running mates — Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, as well as Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Shapiro’s lengthy career
Shapiro, long seen as a rising political star in Pennsylvania, is halfway through his second year as governor after easily winning his last election by trouncing a far-right, Donald Trump-endorsed candidate in the premier presidential battleground.
The 51-year-old has been a surrogate for Biden, backing the president in appearances on cable networks, and has years of experience making former President Trump the focus of his attacks, first as state attorney general and now as governor.
If he joins a Democratic ticket, Shapiro would become the first presidential nominee of Jewish heritage or the second vice presidential nominee of that background, after former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut in 2000.
Shapiro has won three statewide races — two as attorney general, one as governor — with a tightly scripted, disciplined campaign style, offering voters something of a lower-key alternative to the state’s brash political star, U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.
As governor, Shapiro has begun to shed a buttoned-down public demeanor and become more confident and plain-spoken. In one recent MSNBC appearance, he said Trump should “quit whining” and stop “sh— talking America.”
Shapiro has aggressively confronted what he viewed as antisemitism cropping up from pro-Palestinian demonstrations, and has professed solidarity with Israel in its drive to eliminate Hamas.
He is a staunch proponent of abortion rights in Pennsylvania and routinely touts his victories in court against Trump, including beating back challenges to the 2020 election results.
He also has positioned himself as a moderate on energy issues in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas state and plays up the need for bipartisanship in the politically divided state government.
Shapiro assumed the office of the governor in January 2023 after serving as Pennsylvania’s attorney general and on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Prior to that, he was a state representative.
Pa. Democratic Party for Harris
State political parties are already starting to formally announce support for the Harris ticket — sans a running mate. State Sen. Sharif Street expects the Pennsylvania Democratic Party to follow in the coming days.
“I fully anticipate that Pennsylvania Democrats will convene and will formally endorse Vice President Harris and I’m encouraging people to begin that process,” he said.
Of course, delegates won’t cast their votes for a nominee until the Democratic National Convention next month.
Street believes Harris has the potential to increase participation among voters who turned away from Biden, including Black voters and young people.
“I think Black folks will get energized to elect a Black woman president of the United States,” he added. “Young people were reluctant to vote for someone who was the age of their grandparent, and now they don’t have to do that.”
If elected, Harris would become the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first person of South Asian descent to hold national office.
Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes are up for grabs in November and are crucial once again. The winner of the Keystone State has won the last four presidential elections and 10 out of the last 12.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.