Shapiro: Walz ‘exceptionally strong’ pick for Harris

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) called Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) an “exceptionally strong” running mate for Vice President Harris on Tuesday after he lost the battle to become his party’s vice presidential candidate. 

“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support – and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” Shapiro said in a statement following Harris’s decision. 

Walz, Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly (D) were widely seen as the top three candidates to join Harris on the Democratic presidential ticket.

The governor noted in his statement that he would campaign for the ticket ahead of November. In a post on the social platform X, Shapiro said he would be in attendance at the campaign’s rally Tuesday in Philadelphia, a setting that had stoked speculation he would be the pick. 

“Over the next 92 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind Kamala Harris’ campaign to defeat Donald Trump, become the 47th President of the United States, and build a better future for our country,” the Pennsylvania governor said. 

While Shapiro was long seen as a leading contender for the position given Pennsylvania’s importance in the Electoral College battle, progressive segments of the party, along with pro-Palestinian activists, publicly took issue with the governor’s stance on the Israel-Hamas War and his response to pro-Palestinian protests.

Critics of progressives and Shapiro’s allies, on the other hand, accused his critics of spreading antisemitic rhetoric against the governor, who is an observant Jew.

Shapiro referenced his faith in his statement Tuesday, saying that it, along with his family, has motivated his public service. 

“I’ve been called to serve because I want to leave our community, our Commonwealth, and our country better off for our children – and because my faith teaches me that no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it,” the governor said.