In a recent social media post, Philadelphia's Democratic Mayor Cherelle Parker expressed her support for Josh Shapiro as Vice President, alongside Kamala Harris as President.
The post, which was pinned to the top of her profile, read, "Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting Kamala Harris for President and Josh Shapiro for VP!" This statement led to a flurry of speculation, as many interpreted it as an early revelation of the Harris campaign's VP selection.
According to The Post Millennial, Mayor Parker's post was accompanied by a campaign video endorsing Harris and Shapiro for the presidential and vice-presidential roles, respectively. The video featured a host of local and regional leaders expressing their support for the pair. "We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United!" Parker declared. The post coincided with Harris receiving backing from delegates who had previously voted for Biden in the primary and were expected to fully support him at the Democratic National Convention in August. These delegates are now rallying behind Harris, despite her not having won a primary or even participated in one.
In the midst of the speculation, Philadelphia Magazine's Ernest Owens suggested that the post was intended to be scheduled but was inadvertently published. "Philly political sources have told me that a staffer connected with Mayor Cherelle Parker's team accidentally posted the video today. The video was scheduled for Monday...after VP Kamala Harris was expected to announce her pick. It's Josh Shapiro, y'all," he posted.
However, The Philadelphia Inquirer offered a different perspective, stating that it was unclear whether Mayor Parker was merely promoting Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro's chances of becoming VP or unintentionally revealing Harris' significant announcement. The Inquirer cited anonymous sources to refute the idea that Parker had accidentally leaked the announcement. One source reportedly said, "This is not an announcement of anything. This is just the mayor showing her support for a longtime friend who we know is one of the people being considered."
The Inquirer also reported that attempts to contact Parker's campaign were not immediately successful. However, they managed to reach a source close to Parker who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak on behalf of her campaign.
In the video accompanying her post, Parker expressed her confidence in Shapiro, stating, "I cant think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro." This statement further fueled the speculation surrounding Shapiro's potential VP candidacy. As the political world awaits Harris' official announcement, the conjecture surrounding Mayor Parker's post serves as a reminder of the high stakes and intense scrutiny that accompany the race for the White House.
Login