Why Shapiro Wasn’t Chosen As Harris’s Running Mate

On Tuesday, during a CNN roundtable with Dana Bash, Jamie Gangel and Scott Jennings, Democratic strategist David Axelrod suggested that the decision for Vice President Kamala Harris not to select Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) as her running mate was “mutual” between the two Democrats, rather than a one-sided choice.

Axelrod refuted CNN anchor Bash’s claim that Shapiro was passed over for having “top of the ticket energy, not VP energy,” and also countered commenter Jennings’ assertion that antisemitism within the Democratic Party was the reason for Shapiro’s exclusion.

“I don’t think he was excluded for that reason. I’m not sure he was excluded at all. I think there was a mutual meeting of the minds as to whether this was the right fit for him with her,” said Axelrod.

Following Harris’s Tuesday announcement that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz would be her 2024 running mate, Jennings, a former staffer for President George W. Bush, claimed on CNN that Harris couldn’t choose Shapiro “because the party is somewhat awash in antisemitism.”

“Kamala Harris absolutely bowed down to the radical left in her party by not picking Shapiro, who is Jewish. There was a nasty campaign run against him. Everybody knows it, no one wants to admit it, but everybody knows it, and she wound up choosing the person who was not Jewish and not as talented,” argued Jennings.

Several other Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana), echoed Jennings’ claims, alleging that Shapiro was not chosen because of his Jewish heritage and the far left’s criticism of his stance on the Israel-Hamas war.

Critics of progressives and allies of Shapiro argue that the attacks were rooted in antisemitism, highlighting his identity as an observant Jew and noting that his stances on Israel are similar to those of other Democratic vice presidential contenders.

Axelrod, who is also Jewish, responded to the allegations of antisemitism, stating, “Antisemitism is something that a lot of us have faced in different ways and my family as faced and so on. I don’t like to see it exploited.”

During the roundtable, CNN special correspondent Gangel supported Axelrod’s assertions, citing sources that said Shapiro “sort of set the stage” for not being selected as Harris’s running mate.

“Even going into this election, Josh Shapiro had some, let’s just say hesitancy or questions about whether he wanted to be the No. 2,” said Gangel, adding, “and he is someone who definitely has ambitions to run, and he was looking down the road.”

“We have new reporting tonight from our team, that in fact, when he went into his vetting meeting and also in his in-person meeting with Harris, he made it very clear what kind of vice president he wanted this to be,” Gangel added.

“It was much more of a two for the price of one,” she said. “He wants to be in the room; he wanted to have a real say in these things. These are sources we’ve talked to who feel that in those meetings, Shapiro sort of set the stage not to be picked as Harris’s number two.”

At a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Shapiro introduced the Harris-Walz ticket and vowed to “work his tail off” to get them elected in November.