CHICAGO — He didn’t get the nod to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, but Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been a ubiquitous and sought-after presence at the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week.
He’s appeared daily at numerous state delegations’ breakfasts and has made headlines with comments about a reported feud with U.S. Sen. John Fetterman and refuting former President Donald Trump’s assertion that antisemitism played a role in his not getting the VP nod.
On Wednesday night, Shapiro took the stage at the DNC, the same night that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Harris’ choice for running mate, delivers the keynote address. Sounding a bit hoarse, Shapiro spoke after former President Bill Clinton and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a plum spot in the third night of the DNC’s prime time lineup.
Shapiro delivered a rousing speech that energized the audience at the United Center, opening with a familiar reference to the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection.
“Two-and-a-half centuries ago, in Philadelphia, a band of patriots declared their independence from a king and set ourselves on a path of self determination,” Shapiro said. “Generation after generation has embraced that responsibility. Ordinary Americans rising up, demanding more, seeking justice. And in every chapter of our American story, we’ve made progress and advanced the cause of freedom.”
Harris, Shapiro said, has spent her entire career making progress. He called Trump “a man with no guardrails,” who “cloaks himself in the blanket of freedom.”
“It’s not freedom to tell our children what books they’re allowed to read. It’s not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies,” he continued. “And it sure as hell isn’t freedom to say you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner. That’s not freedom.”
Pennsylvania has been the battleground of battleground states in 2024: a state that went red in 2016 for Trump, and back to blue in 2020 for President Joe Biden. Both the GOP and Democratic ticket have visited the state numerous times, with its 19 electoral votes a tempting prize for the victor.
Shapiro, as he noted in an interview with Politico earlier on Wednesday, has never lost an election, and was part of the blue wave of 2022 defeating state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R-Franklin) by a margin of 15 points.
He told the DNC during his remarks that Democrats are “the party of real freedom.”
“The kind of real freedom that comes when that child has a great public school with an awesome teacher because we believe in her future. Real freedom that comes when we invest in the police and in the community so that child can walk to and from school safely and get home to her mama. Real freedom that comes when she can join a union, marry who she loves, start a family on her own terms, breathe clean air and drink pure water, worship how she wants, and live a life of purpose where she’s respected for who she is. Real freedom that comes when she looks at Madam President and know that this is a nation where anything and everything is possible.”
Shapiro said “Kamala’s and Tim’s names may be on the ballot” but that rights and freedoms were on the line.
“You have the power to shape the future of this country, just like our ancestors who fought for freedom on the battlefield and sat-in at lunch counters so their kids could stand up.”
He closed with a series of questions for the crowd, which responded with resounding “yes” to each one.
“Are you ready to protect our rights? Are you ready to secure our freedoms? Are you ready to defend our democracy? And are you ready to elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz?
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