Josh Shapiro speaks to New Hampshire delegation at DNC, courting an early primary state

CHICAGO — In a second-floor conference room in the Westin Hotel next to Lake Michigan, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro spoke Wednesday morning to about 80 New Hampshire Democrats, many of whom have a lot of experience vetting presidential candidates.

“The reason I especially wanted to be here this morning is because when the power is in the hands of New Hampshire, you all know how to pick a president and you all know how to get stuff done,” he told the state’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

He was introduced by the state party chair, Ray Buckley, who said Shapiro adopted his slogan about political productivity — “get stuff done” — from New Hampshire.

It was one of three breakfast speaking engagements on Wednesday for Shapiro, who has been making the rounds at the national party gathering. His trip to the convention comes after weeks in the national spotlight as a front-runner to become Vice President Harris’ running mate.

Shapiro lauded Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was selected over him, and said he’d be working hard to help them win Pennsylvania. He also talked to Nevada and New Jersey delegations on Wednesday.

Shapiro, who is known to have national political ambitions, was to speak on the convention’s main stage Wednesday night. On Tuesday night, he spoke briefly from the convention floor to cast the Pennsylvania delegation’s votes to nominate Harris.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also spoke at the New Hampshire breakfast Wednesday. As finance chair of the Democratic Governor’s Association, he pledged to do everything to help elect a Democrat in the open governor’s race in the Granite State this fall.

Murphy introduced himself as a lifelong Red Sox fan, an attribute that he said “gets me no votes in New Jersey.”