Some Democratic backers of Josh Shapiro see a missed chance for a Jewish vice president

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate disappointed fans of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was one of Harris’ finalists for the job and seen as someone who could help Democrats win a key swing state and make history by electing the first Jewish vice president.

With his history of winning three statewide elections in Pennsylvania, Shapiro was seen as someone with particular appeal to moderate voters. His state's 19 votes in the Electoral College have long been critical for candidates trying to reach the necessary 270 to win.

But the same things about Shapiro that appealed to moderates angered some on the left in his party: his support for a private school voucher program and natural gas infrastructure as well as particularly his support for Israel's war in Gaza after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.

Some Democrats lamented what they said was a missed opportunity by bypassing Shapiro. Republicans, meanwhile, tried to paint Harris' choice as a snub to Jewish voters, a traditionally Democratic constituency that former President Donald Trump has tried to court in this year's race.

“Not only is he exceptionally smart and capable, but, in my opinion, he brought the math to the path of 270,” said Ryan Bizzarro, 38-year-old Democratic state lawmaker from Erie, Pennsylvania, said of Shapiro.

Shapiro spoke at a rally in Philadelphia Tuesday night before the new Democratic ticket took the stage, with the Pennsylvania governor receiving big applause from thousands of attendees.

“I love you Philly. You know what else I love, I love being your governor,” Shapiro said.

He added, “I am going to continue pouring my heart and soul into continuing to serve you every single day as your governor.”

Shapiro also praised Walz as a great man with strong midwestern values, calling him a friend he said he couldn’t wait for Pennsylvanians to get to know.

Walz returned the compliment when he took the stage later with Harris in Philadelphia.

“My God, what a treasure you have in Josh Shapiro," he said. "Holy hell, can this guy bring the fire.”

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker, who advocated fiercely but unsuccessfully for Shapiro, also spoke at the event and said Democrats should not let Republicans and detractors divide them over the pick.

“Our Democratic nominee has spoken and that’s it. Period. End of story," Parker said.

A number of high-profile Republicans sought to seize on the liberal pushback Shapiro faced over his stance on Israel, suggesting Tuesday that Shapiro was not picked as Harris’ running mate because of antisemitic attitudes in the Democratic Party.

Trump, the Republican nominee, has been sharply criticized for his record on antisemitism, notably his suggestion that there were “fine people on both sides” of an antisemitic march in Charlottesville, Virginia, and his dinner with white nationalist Nick Fuentes at his Mar-a-Lago residence in 2022.

The former president recently suggested Harris “doesn’t like Jewish people” even though her husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, is Jewish, and seemed to agree with a radio host who called Emhoff “a crappy Jew.”

Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, told reporters in Philadelphia on Tuesday that it seemed Harris didn’t pick Shapiro because Democrats feared “grassroots activists in their party wouldn’t take a Jewish nominee.”

Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, who is Jewish and was excited at the prospect of a Jewish vice president, praised Walz and criticized Republicans for framing her decision as a slight against Jewish Democrats.

“I’ve seen the discourse on the right saying that there’s clearly no room for Jews in Democratic politics,” said Moss. “I defy any one of them to name a single Jewish Republican governor or a single Jewish Republican U.S. senator. They can’t, because there are none.”

The last Jewish Republican senator was former Sen. Norm Coleman of Minnesota, who left office in 2009. Missouri's former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens is Jewish, but he resigned in 2018.

Arab American leaders who had publicly cautioned against picking Shapiro countered claims that the opposition was based on the governor’s Jewish background and said his positions on Israel and statements on campus protests went further than other candidates, particularly Walz.

Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor of Dearborn, Michigan, noted that the Arab American community overwhelmingly voted for Jewish politicians in the past, backing former Democratic Rep. Andy Levin and twice supporting former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, the independent Vermont senator.

“It’s certainly not antisemitic to critique somebody’s position on Israeli policy," Hammoud said. “That’s just called stewardship and accountability.”

Most Jewish Americans vote Democratic and are still poised to rally around the Democratic ticket, even without Shapiro.

Only 30% of Jewish voters supported Trump in 2020, while 69% supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of the electorate. That made Jewish voters one of the religious groups where support for Biden was strongest.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America, which held an online rally for Harris last week, issued a statement in support of Walz on Tuesday, calling him “an exceptional choice” and noting he and Harris “align with the vast majority of Jewish voters on every key issue, including Israel and antisemitism.”

Shapiro is a popular first-term governor who two years ago was elected in a battleground state that is seen as critical to Democrats’ path to win the White House. The 51-year-old emerged in recent days as a finalist on Harris’ speedy search for a running mate, winning fans in the party for his speaking style that evoked former President Barack Obama.

With his background as a former state attorney general, like Harris, he also stood out for his forceful defenses of the White House and critiques of Trump.

He is a staunch proponent of abortion rights but is also seen as a moderate on energy policy, a significant issue in his natural gas producing state.

Shapiro has professed solidarity with Israel in its campaign to eliminate Hamas and has aggressively confronted what he saw as antisemitism appearing at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In recent days, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on a column he wrote for his college newspaper saying Palestinians were “too battle-minded” to coexist with Israel.

Jonathan Sarna, professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, said that as the opposition to Shapiro over his position on Israel became more vocal, “suddenly this decision took on new significance.”

Nathan Diament, the executive director of public policy for the Orthodox Union, an umbrella group of Orthodox Jews in the U.S., said “It’s a bit disappointing” a Jewish candidate won’t be on the ticket.

“Certainly, it would have been exciting if that had happened for a second time,” he said, referencing Joseph Lieberman’s run with Al Gore in 2000.

Amy Spitalnick, the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, said in a post on X that it was “ridiculous” for people to claim Harris, whom she noted was married to a Jewish man, second gentleman Doug Emhoff, didn’t pick Shapiro because of antisemitism.

“There are two crowds using Jews as political footballs here: The far-left that singled out Shapiro (despite Israel policies largely aligned with Walz and others) AND the swarm of right-wingers now claiming Harris/Dems are antisemitic,” she wrote. “Neither is credible.”

State Sen. Sharif Street of Philadelphia said that Walz’s values, including on abortion and gun control, align more with Philadelphians than those of Vance or Trump. And he believes his retail political skills will help carry the state, even without Shapiro on the ticket.

“Look, Gov. Shapiro’s a rockstar in this state. People love him,” said Street, Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party chair and the son of former Mayor John Street.

“But he will still be out there campaigning for this ticket. They haven’t lost Josh Shapiro.”

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Associated Press reporters Tiffany Stanley in Washington, Peter Smith in Pittsburgh, Meg Kinnard and Will Weissert in Philadelphia and Joey Cappelletti in Lansing, Michigan, contributed to this report.