Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro came close to being picked as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, with reports suggesting it came down to him and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
But even if he’s off the ticket, Shapiro has a hefty task this November – keeping his critical swing state blue.
With polls showing Harris and former President Donald Trump neck and neck, Shapiro joined KNX News’ daily political show Countdown 2024 on Friday to talk about Pennsylvania’s role in the dead heat race.
Listen here:
“I think what is good for Kamala Harris is, I think she's got the momentum here and she's beginning to play on, you know, Trump's side of the field, so to speak, competing in rural communities and some other areas where historically Donald Trump has done well, and she's getting some traction,” he said. “So I certainly like her chances, but make no mistake, elections are close here in Pennsylvania.”
Trump has already started sowing seeds of doubt about the validity of the upcoming election, and after everything that happened in 2020, many are concerned that a tight race could be a recipe for disaster. But Shapiro expressed confidence that the Keystone State has everything under control.
“I'm worried about it to the extent that Donald Trump is willing to lie and push forward these falsehoods and this mis- and disinformation to try and score some political points or get some political advantage,” he said. “But the good news is we're prepared, and we're doing everything we can to work within the system to ensure people have confidence in it notwithstanding the lies that Trump pushes out there.”
Shapiro was Pennsylvania’s Attorney General in 2020, when Trump and his allies sued the state dozens of times to disrupt the electoral process. Each and every legal challenge failed.
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Shapiro also pointed to Pennsylvania’s newly-created Election Threats Task Force, a coalition of law enforcement and election officials working to ensure the election is “free and fair.”
Listen to the full episode above, and catch new episodes of Countdown 2024 live at 2:30 p.m. every weekday through Election Day.
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