In a revealing new memoir, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro details some of the insulting questions he faced during vetting to become Kamala Harris’s potential running mate, reminding me of the lost opportunity.
Don’t get me wrong. I like the Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
He’s a decent guy who’s currently dealing with some incredible hardships at the hands of ICE agents, doing so with grace and fortitude.
However, Walz was the wrong choice to be Kamala Harris’s vice presidential candidate.
Harris, who was thrust into the brightest political spotlight after Biden’s cognitive decline was no longer concealable, should have chosen someone who could deliver at least one crucial swing state, who speaks the language of our community, and understands the challenges we face.
Hindsight being 20/20, Harris should have picked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate. Her campaign vetted him (more on that later), but ultimately decided he wasn’t the right fit for her.
Respected across the aisle in his home state and capable of conveying empathy for the aggrieved and energy for addressing problems in a bipartisan manner, Shapiro would have killed it on the campaign trail and wiped the floor with the smarmy, far less personable JD Vance in a debate.
And that’s probably why, in part, Harris didn’t pick him.
Shapiro would have outshone Harris. He’s the more polished orator, often compared in tone and cadence to Barack Obama.
And he’d already proven he could sway voters in a swing state. Shapiro won his election in Pennsylvania handily by convincing ardent Republicans to cross the aisle.
You may be asking: “Why wouldn’t Harris want someone like that on her ticket?”
Answer: Presidential candidates have historically been careful not to choose someone who could outshine them, even if it ends up hurting them on Election Day, as it did with the Walz selection.
Now, not choosing Shapiro could cost Harris her rumored 2028 run for the presidency.
According to a revealing new memoir by Shapiro, the Pennsylvania governor offers a stark account of the 2024 vice-presidential selection process, describing it as far “uglier than is commonly known” and detailing intense, personal scrutiny from then-nominee Kamala Harris’s team over his Jewish faith and views on Israel.
In excerpts from “Where We Keep the Light,” obtained by The New York Times, Shapiro recounts a contentious vetting process in which former White House counsel Dana Remus asked him whether he had ever been “a double agent for Israel.”
“Had I been a double agent for Israel?” Shapiro, who is Jewish, writes, describing his incredulous response to the last-minute query. He recalls labeling the question “offensive” and being told, “Well, we have to ask.” The questioning continued, with Remus reportedly asking, “Have you ever communicated with an undercover agent of Israel?”
Ugh. That’s ugly, though insensitive questioning like that is not uncommon in the VP-vetting process.
The episode unfolded as fierce debates over the war in Gaza divided the Democratic Party.
Shapiro, an outspoken critic of what he viewed as antisemitism on college campuses, writes that he wondered “whether these questions were being posed to just me — the only Jewish guy in the running — or if everyone… was being grilled about Israel in the same way.”
According to the memoir, Shapiro ultimately decided to withdraw himself from consideration, a decision reinforced by his wife, Lori, who felt it was not the right time for their family. He claims he was advised not to deliver the news to Harris directly because “the VP would not handle bad news well.”
[Note: Had the vetting process been more cordial, and Harris offered him the VP slot, Shapiro would have accepted.]
His memoir presents a sharp contrast to Harris’s own account from her 2025 book, where she expressed concern that Shapiro “would be unable to settle for a role as number two.” The Pennsylvania governor counters this narrative, suggesting Harris’s team was out of touch with the politics of a crucial battleground state.
Shapiro, who hasn’t declared he’s running in 2028 but will almost certainly do so, has cause to be perturbed and will likely use that ire to attack Harris in the 2028 Democratic primary, were she also to run (I’m 50/50 on that likelihood at the moment).
Of course, I’d love to see someone from a Postindustrial State take the presidential reins, and I think Shapiro would make a fine president based on his experience and character.
Too bad Harris didn’t think the same.
