Josh Shapiro says antisemitism played ‘no role’ in his not getting picked as Kamala Harris’ running mate
Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war have also haunted the convention
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Florida Democrat, chats with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro at the Florida delegation breakfast at the Democratic National Convention, Chicago, Aug. 19, 2024. (Ron Kampeas)
(JTA) — CHICAGO — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said antisemitism played “no role” in Vice President Kamala Harris’ opting against him as a running mate, and blamed Donald Trump for spreading that allegation.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, made the remark in an interview on the first day of the Democratic National Convention, as he was making the rounds between meetings of state delegations. Shapiro had been considered a leading contender in Harris’ veepstakes, and faced a progressive campaign to tank his chances over his support for Israel.
Critics of the effort called it antisemitic, but Shapiro told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that antisemitism was not a factor in Harris’ decision to choose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz over him.
“I want to make sure you hear this from me: Antisemitism played no role in the dialogue I had with the vice president. None,” he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in response to a question about whether the progressive left was making it harder for Jews to succeed in the Democratic Party.
“It is true that there is antisemitism in this country, along with racism and Islamophobia and homophobia, and we need to stand up and condemn all of it,” he added moments later. “There is no place for it in the Democratic Party, and there is no place for it in our country.”
The Harris campaign has also forcefully denied that the left-wing campaign against Shapiro played any role in Harris’ decision, calling the claim “ridiculous and offensive.” On Monday, a campaign spokesman said it was not known yet whether Shapiro would get a spot on the main convention stage.
Reports have said Harris clicked more with Walz than Shapiro, and that Shapiro, who has been governor for less than two years, wanted to finish his term before contemplating a run for higher office.
Trump has weighed in on the Shapiro discourse, saying at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania over the weekend that “They turned him down because he’s Jewish.” But the former president and Republican nominee has also said that Shapiro is a “terrible guy” and “not very popular with anybody,” even though polls show that most Pennsylvanians approve of his performance as governor.
“Donald Trump has tried to stoke a lot of this,” Shapiro said. He raised longstanding criticisms of Trump, including of his response to the 2017 far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“Donald Trump is the least credible person when it comes to speaking out against antisemitism, hatred, bigotry,” Shapiro added. “This is a guy who saw people in Charlottesville chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us’, and said there were good people on both sides. This is a guy who continually pits Americans against one another and acts divisive every single day. He is not a word of authority when it comes to condemning hate. Leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity. Donald Trump doesn’t do that.”
More broadly, tensions over the Israel-Hamas war have been a specter the convention, which began today in Chicago. Pro-Palestinian marchers plan to turn out in the tens of thousands later Monday, and 30 or so convention delegates, out of about 4,ooo total, are affiliated with the pro-Palestinian “Uncommitted” movement.
Asked about the Pro-Palestinian protesters outside the arena on Monday evening on MSNBC, Shapiro said, “I salute and celebrate their right to peacefully protest. … Folks need to listen to them. I’ll tell you how I feel. I mourn the loss of life in Israel on Oct. 7, the hundreds of hostages taken, including American hostages. We need to bring them home. I also mourn the loss of thousands of innocents who have died in Gaza. I think it is possible to hold both concerns in you mind and in your heart.
“I think it is possible to see Hamas as the terror organization that they are, but also, like me, want to see a two-state solution, with Palestinians and Israelis living peacefully side by side. I know that feels very far right now from reach, but I think what we have to do is understand the very real concerns people have, understand that the death we’re seeing is incredibly upsetting, and something that we need to end quickly with the return of the hostages and the bringing of some type of peace. And I want those people who are protesting to peacefully have their voices heard. And I want them to understand that here in this hall, people understand their pain, they want to see an end to this war and a return of these hostages.”
On Sunday afternoon, the convention greenlighted two official panels related to the war at the convention — one on Palestinian human rights, the other on antisemitism in the United States following the outbreak of the fighting on Oct. 7.
Both Uncommitted and groups representing the families of Israelis held hostage by Hamas have requested spots on the main convention stage, but neither group has yet received an answer.
Shapiro was one of a number of high-profile Democratic governors to address state delegations staying at the historic Palm Royal hotel, including groups from Florida, Arkansas and Pennsylvania. The delegations also heard from Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and Illinois’ J.B. Pritzker, who is also Jewish.
Shapiro was among the most well-received speakers, getting whoops and cheers with his signature line, “We get s— done,” and grinning afterward when a reporter told him she had heard other Democrats adopt the expression. Shapiro is credited for rapidly repairing infrastructure in the state since assuming office.
Pritzker was the only one to mention his Jewish identity in his speech, describing how his family fled antisemitism and pogroms in Europe and found a home in America. He also made a self-deprecating joke about skepticism in the party when he first ran for governor in 2018.
“The Democratic Party was not crying out for white Ukrainian American Jewish billionaires,” said the scion of a hotel empire. “I get it.”
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