Inside Harris’ decision to pass over Josh Shapiro as her VP pick

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro arrived on Sunday at the U.S. Naval Observatory, Vice President Kamala Harris’ residence in Washington, thinking that there was a strong chance she would pick him to be her running mate in the presidential race.

But by the time he left his final interview with Harris, Shapiro got the impression that she was headed in a different direction, according to a person with knowledge of his experience during the process. Two days later, she tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate.

Although Shapiro was widely seen as a front-runner from the outside, Harris’ decision was impacted by factors political and personal, and by events that played out in the highly compressed timeline for her to make a selection, according to two sources familiar with her campaign’s vetting process.

Shapiro faced far more public criticism than Walz, who was largely seen as a do-no-harm option. And two of the top Democrats in the state, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, contributed at least in part — and in very different ways — to a narrative that Shapiro had been trying to avoid: He was too ambitious to be a No. 2.

Shapiro, 51, came into the process with a growing national profile after a landslide 14-point victory over Republican Doug Mastriano in the 2022 gubernatorial race, cementing his status as one of the party’s top political talents in a critical battleground for the presidential contest.

Shapiro gained national attention in his first year as governor for reopening I-95 just 12 days after a tanker fire caused a collapse to a section in Northeast Philadelphia. And this year, he negotiated a bipartisan budget deal through a divided legislature.

But as a potential VP pick, he faced opposition from public education advocates over his embrace of private school vouchers, from progressives over his vocal support for Israel, and from the National Women’s Defense League, which was concerned about his handling of sexual harassment complaints against a one-time staffer.

But in addition to those political concerns, Harris, who knows well the delicate relationship between a president and vice president, was also worried about whether Shapiro would be a good fit for a supporting role, according to the sources familiar with the vetting process.

Throughout her search, Harris telegraphed that she was interested in a “governing partner.” Shapiro is well-known as a sharp-elbowed competitor and a future White House aspirant, and his name was floated as a long-shot replacement for Biden before Harris became the presumptive nominee.

Fetterman, who has clashed with Shapiro for years, furthered that narrative. Politico reported that the senator lobbied intensely against Shapiro getting the nod and warned Harris that he “is excessively focused on his own personal ambitions.”

Then, late last week, a public push for Shapiro from Philadelphia Democratic Party leaders took an embarrassing turn when a promo video released by Parker seemed to imply Shapiro had already secured the pick.

The video urged voters to support “Kamala Harris for president” and “Josh Shapiro for vice president.” Parker clarified Monday that she merely intended to advocate for Shapiro and “was just a little bit more creative about how she chose to communicate that message.”

The ad was produced by GPS Impact, a political consulting firm that has done work for Shapiro and Parker in the past, fueling speculation that Shapiro was involved in the ad.

The source familiar with Shapiro’s experience said that he did not ask Parker to produce the video but was aware of it before it came out.

“It was [Parker’s] idea. But she asked him: Was it OK to do a video supporting him?” the source said. “He didn’t see the video [before it was published]. ... And then when it came out, the cut of the video was just bad.”

Perhaps aware that appearing too eager may undercut his chances, Shapiro strategically avoided cable TV news shows as he was vetted, saying he did not want to put undue pressure on Harris’ “deeply personal decision.”

Meanwhile, Walz flooded the airwaves, publicly auditioning for the job in a series of interviews.

“I think there will be a lot of second-guessing on how he handled this,” said an ally of Shapiro’s in Harrisburg who did not want to be identified criticizing Shapiro’s approach. “He took a backseat approach instead of pushing himself to the front like Walz.”

Shapiro released a statement Tuesday saying there was “a lot more stuff I want to get done for the good people of this commonwealth” and calling Walz “an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket.”

“Nearly two weeks ago, Vice President Harris asked me to work with her team to complete the vetting process,” he said. “I was grateful to have the opportunity to speak with the vice president directly about her vision.”

Democratic City Committee Chairperson Bob Brady said he didn’t think Shapiro’s allies pushed too hard, noting that North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, another contender for the position, also had an early endorsement from his state’s Democratic Party. (Cooper withdrew from consideration last week before Harris began interviewing candidates in person.)

“How can that hurt? That’s gotta help,” he said. “If you don’t do that, you’re never gonna get him up.”

But Brady conceded that the criticism didn’t help, including from within Shapiro’s own party. He specifically pointed to reports that Fetterman’s staffers had voiced concerns to Harris’ campaign about Shapiro becoming the running mate.

”Why would you do that to your own governor?” Brady said. “If you don’t like the guy, shut up. Seems to me a little jealousy.”

Staff writers Anna Orso and Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.