Govs. Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer will campaign for Kamala Harris in Montco next week
Both governors have been mentioned as possible running mates for Harris
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will campaign for Vice President Kamala Harris at an event in Pennsylvania on Monday.
It will be the first time Shapiro, who is widely considered to be on Harris’ short list of running mates, has campaigned for Harris since President Joe Biden exited the race and she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
The campaign did not say where the event would be held, but a source with knowledge of the event told The Inquirer it is being planned in Montgomery County.
The Harris campaign said Shapiro and Whitmer would rally supporters for Harris on Monday and “slam” Project 2025, a blueprint for a second Donald Trump presidency put together by the conservative Heritage Foundation with input from a slew of former Trump administration officials. Trump has sought to distance himself from the document in recent days.
Both governors have been dogged by rumors of Harris’ interest in them in this highly unprecedented and fast-moving campaign, encountering larger-than-normal crushes of reporters while they go about state business.
Whitmer’s name had been floated as a potential replacement candidate for Biden. She quickly endorsed Harris after the president’s withdrawal and accepted a role as a cochair of the campaign.
She has also shot down speculation that she’s vying for the VP role, telling a Michigan radio station Monday that she has no plans to leave the state and looks forward to seeing whom Harris selects for the role. “I think she’s got a great group of people from whom to choose,” she said.
Shapiro, who is reportedly being vetted as a potential Harris running mate, has neither confirmed nor denied an interest in the role — even as members of his party in the state openly campaign for him to get it. Shapiro said Wednesday that he has not spoken to Harris since Sunday, when she called to ask for the governor’s endorsement and seek advice on defeating Trump in Pennsylvania.
“That’s all we discussed, and she and I have not spoken since then,” he said at a news conference in New Castle, Pa.
Shapiro referred questions about the vice presidential vetting process to the Harris campaign when asked whether his team had received any outreach.
He expressed appreciation for the Philadelphia Democratic Party’s unusual Wednesday morning endorsement of his vice presidency but said Harris shouldn’t feed into politics when making her decision.
“The vice president now has a deeply personal decision to make,” Shapiro said. “That is a deeply personal decision that should be made free from any political pressure.”
Other top Democrats under consideration reportedly include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Sen. Mark Kelly (D., Ariz.), and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Since securing enough pledged delegates to be the presumptive nominee, Harris has hit the campaign trail, rallying in Milwaukee and Indianapolis this week. Her campaign, which hit the ground running because she took over Biden’s campaign staff and offices nationwide, has also held daily events in Pennsylvania.
Former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, a gun violence activist, joined Pennsylvania House Speaker Joanna McClinton and the Rev. Cean James at a Wednesday news conference in Philadelphia touting Harris’ work to tackle gun violence.