A new book is shedding light on why former Vice President Kamala Harris did not pick Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) as her Democratic running mate in 2024, even though a majority of analysts said he seemed like the strongest contender.
Some theories falsely claimed it was because of his Jewish faith, but the authors of the book How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America said the real reason was that Harris and Shapiro were too similar, had competing political ambitions, and lacked chemistry.
While Shapiro made some “incendiary” comments on pro-Palestinian protests, it was his overly zealous ambition that became his undoing.
“On paper, many Democrats thought Shapiro was the obvious choice,” authors Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf wrote.
They pointed to Shapiro’s popularity as governor of a battleground state, his powerful speaking abilities, his centrist political stances, and the fact that President Donald Trump’s campaign viewed him as the most formidable opponent.
Shapiro was one of six finalists who conducted virtual interviews with the Harris campaign, a group that included Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D-IL), who is also Jewish and a billionaire.
Shapiro eventually made it to the short list of vice presidential picks alongside Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ). Unlike her meetings with Walz and Kelly, Harris and Shapiro almost immediately began to butt heads.
“He came across as overly ambitious, pushing Harris to define what his role would be,” according to the book that will be out on Tuesday. “He also conceded it would not be natural for him to serve as someone’s number two, leaving Harris with a bad impression.”
Shapiro aides purportedly called Harris back after his visit, saying he was having reservations about leaving his job as Pennsylvania’s governor. “Harris was perplexed when she was briefed on the call,” they wrote. “Shapiro seemed to want Harris to be invested in his success as much as he was in hers, and he didn’t say he wasn’t interested in potentially running for president in the future.”
There was also no guarantee that if Shapiro was on the ticket, he would be able to deliver Pennsylvania for Harris, a key to her winning the White House.
Despite not getting the job, Shapiro seemed to be all-in when it came to supporting the Democratic ticket. He touted Harris’s record, claiming she was “battle-tested and ready to go.” He also called Walz a “dear friend” and a “great patriot.”
“I think it is fitting and I think it is special for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to launch their campaign here in Philly, the City of Brotherly Love, and importantly, they chose to launch their campaign right here in the birthplace of real freedom,” Shapiro said at a rally in Philadelphia.
In the end, Harris lost the battleground state to Trump.
Trump picked up Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes four years after former President Joe Biden carried the state in 2020, flipping it from Trump’s column in 2016. No Democrat has won the White House without also winning Pennsylvania since 1948.
Shapiro, who previously told the Washington Examiner that his immediate focus is on his state, is among the top Democratic Party candidates for president in 2028, according to a June Emerson College Polling survey.
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In that poll, which asked more than 400 Democratic Primary voters nationwide about their choice for a 2028 candidate, Shapiro landed fourth among a crowded field of possible candidates.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg led with 16%, followed by Harris at 13%, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) at 12%, and Shapiro and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tying for fourth with 7%.