Harris vice presidential battle gets nasty

The battle to become Vice President Harris’s running mate is turning increasingly ugly as a decision nears and Democrats rally around their own preferred picks. 

Progressives angered by Israel’s war in Gaza have increasingly targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is Jewish, over his stances on Israel and handling of pro-Palestinian protests. Separately, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) also flagged concerns about Shapiro to Harris’s team, according to Politico. 

The left wing of the Democratic Party is increasingly pushing for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to be the Harris pick. A number of House Democrats have been trying to boost Walz, a source familiar with the conversations said.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), another top contender, has seen some union leaders publicly question whether he should get the nod, though the talk has not reached the nastiness of the debate over Shapiro.

The vice presidential battle, some strategists say, is starting to resemble a Democratic primary fight.

“This is probably the closest thing to a primary that Democrats get this cycle, and that explains why this has gotten so high stakes,” said one Democratic strategist who has worked on recent presidential campaigns. “Many Democrats are looking at this as the last opportunity to impact the ticket and potentially the last opportunity to have an impact on the White House until 2028 or 2032, so you are seeing a lot of campaigning.” 

When President Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, Democrats and Republicans alike were stunned at how quickly the party coalesced around her. Many had been expecting a messy battle to take place post-Biden, but instead no challengers emerged and the party was largely able to breathe a sigh of relief.

While that fight was avoided, the vice presidential race has taken on a more bitter tone.

“Veepstakes is normally a months-long process, and while the surprise of picking rising talent from the bench for the ticket has excited Democrats, it created a pressure-cooker environment over two weeks,” a second strategist said. “All opposition research and critique that would normally have time to breathe is being rushed out the door.”

“In the closing days, the fractures have grown more intense, but their durability is unclear, and the guiding principle for the Harris campaign remains the same: Do no harm, show good judgment with your pick, and maybe move the needle in key states.”

A Harris ally agreed that the condensed time frame, immediately following the fractures in the Democratic Party, are contributing to the “intensity of the moment.” 

“No one wants to make a mistake here,” the ally said. “The window is small, and the stakes are high.”

Shapiro has born the brunt of the veepstakes criticism, particularly from progressives. The governor’s critics from the left-leaning flank of his party point to what they say has been a heavy-handed approach to pro-Palestinian protests and efforts during his time as governor and attorney general. 

One particular discussion grew so intense, activists debated if the phrase “Genocide Josh” while describing Shapiro was antisemitic, according to The New York Times. 

Some Democrats say much of the criticism Shapiro has received is from the “overly online left,” and predict that progressives will fall in line if Harris picks him. 

“These internal squabbles … might seem large online, because they can inspire big feelings, [but] it doesn’t reflect anything happening in the real world. The normal voter is not paying attention to this,” said Keith Edwards, a digital Democratic strategist. 

But one progressive strategist told The Hill that the criticism is not exclusive to online spaces and could impact turnout among Arab American and Muslim voters. 

“I think there are going to be problems if he is the VP for the Arab vote, the progressive vote,” the strategist said. “I do think this is going to be more of a defining moment for her campaign than I thought.”

Progressives and pro-Palestinian activists say they take particular issue with a recently resurfaced op-ed from Shapiro’s undergraduate years at the University of Rochester in which he predicted that “peace will never come” to the Middle East and described Palestinians as “battle-minded.” 

The Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project rolled out their own statement Friday referring to Shapiro’s comments in the op-ed as “virulently racist.” 

Shapiro’s spokesperson responded to the resurfaced op-ed, which Shapiro wrote when he was 20, saying in a statement that the governor’s views on the issue have since “evolved into the position he holds today.”

Additionally, Shapiro’s allies have pointed to shows of support from the Arab community, including a recent op-ed from a member of the Philadelphia Arab American Development Corp. that praised Shapiro for reaching out to the community following Oct. 7. 

Shapiro’s supporters and critics of progressives point out that Shapiro’s present stances on Israel-related issues are not that different from those of the other contenders, arguing that much of the criticism is rooted in antisemitism. Shapiro is a supporter of a two-state solution and has been a vocal critic of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war. 

“Those in the overly online left who are attacking Josh Shapiro’s pro-Israel positions in a different way than they are attacking non-Jewish veep contenders positions, they’re just telling on themselves. There’s a strong undercurrent of antisemitism,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), who is Jewish, told CNN on Monday. 

One Democratic strategist predicted the backlash particularly from progressives likely wouldn’t play a major role in Harris’s decision, pointing to her moderated stances on issues including “Medicare for All” and fracking. 

“She’s had so many opportunities to play into their demands already, and she hasn’t taken that bait,” the strategist said. 

Edwards also questioned how long voters will stay fixated on the veepstakes news cycle, given the chaotic nature of politics over the past month. 

“The news cycle is minutes long,” he said. “There was an assassination attempt three weeks ago and no one talks about that. This, what we’re talking about here, is so small.”