The political landscape is abuzz with speculation as Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, is rumored to be a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential race.
Shapiro, 51, who was elected as the 48th governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, has a political career that spans several years and various roles.
According to Fox News, before his gubernatorial victory, Shapiro, originally from Kansas City, Missouri, held the position of Pennsylvania's attorney general from 2017 to 2023. His tenure as the state's chief law enforcement officer was marked by a series of legal challenges and lawsuits against the Trump administration. Shapiro was among the group of progressive state attorneys general who openly criticized Trump's 2017 travel ban, which affected several predominantly Muslim countries and was upheld by the Supreme Court.
Shapiro's political journey began at the University of Rochester in New York, where he studied political science and served as the student body president in 1992. He later relocated to Washington, D.C., working on Capitol Hill for former Rep. Joe Hoeffel, D-Pa., and studying at Georgetown University Law Center. In 2004, Shapiro was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, serving four terms before transitioning to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2012, where he served as chair until 2016.
Shapiro's ascension to the role of the state's 50th attorney general in January 2017 came after a narrow victory over state Sen. John Rafferty Jr., the GOP nominee, with 51.3% of the vote. His re-election in 2020 was even tighter, securing 50.9% of the vote to defeat Republican nominee Heather Heidelbaugh.
In 2022, Shapiro sought the Democratic Party's nomination for governor of the state. His campaign, which focused on issues such as abortion and raising the minimum wage, received endorsements from term-limited Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and other Democrats throughout the state. Shapiro, raised in a Jewish household, is the third Jewish governor in Pennsylvania's history.
Despite his support for Democratic policies, Shapiro has attempted to position himself as a moderate in a state that Trump won in the 2016 presidential election and narrowly lost in 2020. Earlier this year, he declined requests from the Republican-led State Senate to send the Pennsylvania National Guard to the southern border to assist with a massive influx of migrants, stating that it was Congress's responsibility to resolve the issue. Additionally, Shapiro has advocated for the Pennsylvania General Assembly to abolish the death penalty, a move that has faced opposition from his Republican critics.
Political strategists view Shapiro as a safe choice for Harris as she contemplates her running mate for the upcoming election. He has already garnered support from several Pennsylvania Democrats, including Pennsylvania Speaker of the House Joanna McClinton and Philadelphia Democratic Party Chair Bob Brady.
Three days after President Biden announced his decision not to run in the 2024 race, Shapiro praised Harris, stating she had "done an extraordinary job" garnering support for the partys presidential nomination. He further stated, "For anyone calling for any open process, I'll tell you, we had one and you know what, she kicked butt and she earned the support and she earned the nomination. And I'm proud to support her." As the political landscape continues to evolve, Shapiro's potential role in the 2024 presidential race remains a topic of keen interest.
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