Josh Shapiro’s Judaism was not a factor in Kamala Harris passing him over as a running mate, according to a 2024 election tell-all, contradicting a narrative Republicans eagerly peddled.
If anything, Harris rejected Shapiro because they had too much in common – both were former attorneys general who hoped to be president. That and poor chemistry knocked Shapiro out of the running, according to How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America, by political reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf.
The Forward obtained excerpts of the book, set to be published Tuesday.
The campaign flagged some of Shapiro’s comments on pro-Palestinian protests as “incendiary,” but that was not a factor in Harris’ decision to go with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
The Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza loomed large in the campaign before President Joe Biden withdrew from the race. Anxious Democrats pressured Biden to “take a tougher stance on Israel” as one way to recover from his catastrophic debate performance in June 2024.
Some Democrats pushed for an arms embargo to shift the campaign’s direction and appeal to disaffected progressives and Michigan voters who had cast “uncommitted” ballots in the primary. Michigan is believed to have the highest concentration of Muslim and Arab American voters.
“The president took umbrage at the criticism,” the authors write. Biden said he still hoped to secure a deal that would end the hostilities and release the hostages. He blamed Benjamin Netanyahu for being an “impediment” to a ceasefire deal, believing the Israeli prime minister hoped that Trump would be elected. “Biden lamented that he was taking heat from many directions while he was doing the most of anyone,” the authors write.
Earlier in the year, some Biden aides voiced concern that the president’s focus on international affairs was distracting him from engaging voters on key campaign issues. “I think you are running for president of Europe, not president of the United States,” Biden’s first chief of staff, Ron Klain, who is Jewish, reportedly told him. “I am doing what I have to do,” Biden responded.
Harris, who was more forceful in her call for an immediate ceasefire to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, lost Michigan and Pennsylvania by almost 2 points.
Shapiro was one of six finalists who conducted virtual interviews with the Harris campaign, a group that included Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who also is Jewish.
“On paper, many Democrats thought Shapiro was the obvious choice,” the authors write. They cite Shapiro’s popularity as a governor from a key battleground state, his strong oratory skills, his reputation as a moderate, and the fact that the Trump campaign feared him most.
Some aides expressed concern that Harris and Shapiro had overly similar backgrounds. Both were lawyers who previously served as state attorneys general.
Some Republicans said Harris caved to antisemites when she decided to go with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Pro-Palestinian activists and Israel-critical progressives led an aggressive social media campaign to keep Shapiro off the ticket. The Harris campaign denied Shapiro’s faith or Israel positions were factors.
It is true that Shapiro’s stance on Israel and the campus protests raised concerns within the campaign, according to the book. The attorneys vetting him flagged some comments “they viewed as more incendiary.”
In an April 2024 interview with CNN, Shapiro spoke about what he said were expressions of antisemitism at the pro-Palestinian protests. “We have to query whether or not we would tolerate this, if this were people dressed up in KKK outfits or KKK regalia, making comments about people who are African American in our communities.” Progressives argued that the remark compared protesters to the KKK.
Shapiro’s private meeting with Harris — after the shortlist was narrowed to him, Walz, and Sen. Mark Kelly — did not go well, the authors write. “He came across as overly ambitious, pushing Harris to define what his role would be,” they write. “He also conceded it would not be natural for him to serve as someone’s number two, leaving Harris with a bad impression.”
Shapiro later called aides to the vice president to say he wasn’t sure he was ready to leave his job as Pennsylvania governor. “Harris was perplexed when she was briefed on the call,” they write. “Shapiro seemed to want Harris to be invested in his success as much as he was in hers, and he didn’t say he wasn’t interested in potentially running for president in the future.”
Internal polls also didn’t clearly show that Shapiro would deliver Pennsylvania, key to winning the White House.
