Gov. Josh Shapiro gives a rousing speech on his home turf after getting passed over for VP

Gov. Josh Shapiro, fresh off getting passed over as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, still took the stage to tout Harris’ campaign at her rally Tuesday in Philadelphia.

He entered Temple University’s packed Liacouras Center to a sea of signs for Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, having narrowly missed the opportunity for them to feature his own name — and just hours after Harris made her decision.

As he took the stage as a campaign surrogate rather than a vice presidential candidate, he got a sustained standing ovation. And he gave a rousing speech, straining his voice by the end, in support of Harris and Walz.

The thunderous applause as Shapiro spoke — which made him inaudible at points — illustrated Pennsylvania Democrats’ love for the first-term governor who is known to have national political ambitions.

“I want you to know I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor,” Shapiro said to start his remarks. “And I’m going to be working my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.”

Harris’ decision not to select Shapiro was impacted by factors political and personal, according to sources familiar with the process.

But the vetting and decision process appeared to be quickly swept under the rug for Shapiro and Harris, former prosecutors who have known each other for two decades, by Tuesday evening. Harris, in her remarks as she took the stage in Philadelphia shortly after Shapiro’s address, called the Pennsylvania governor a “dear, dear friend and an extraordinary leader.”

She also noted that she will still rely on Shapiro’s help to win his home state.

“I am so invested in our friendship and doing this together, because together, with Josh Shapiro, we will win Pennsylvania,” she added. “And I thank you, Josh, I thank you.”

Shapiro was thrust into the national spotlight in the last two weeks and had been the most scrutinized of any of Harris’ running mate contenders, despite trying to run an under-the-radar campaign for the role. He took criticism from public education advocates, pro-Palestinian groups, and more. He also has bipartisan appeal and winning track record, and some Republicans breathed a sigh of relief that the popular swing state governor didn’t end up on the ticket.

But the governor, in the uncomfortable position of cheering on Walz who got the job he interviewed for, didn’t seem bitter. He humbly accepted the thunderous applause — at times so loud he had to pause his remarks — emphasized his love for working as Pennsylvania’s governor, and praised Walz as a personal friend “great patriot.”

“I can’t wait for you, Philly and the rest of the Commonwealth, to get the chance to know the Walzes,” Shapiro said.

Walz, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, told the crowd the same: Shapiro is “a treasure, “a visionary” and “can bring the fire.”

“Everybody in America knows when you need a bridge fixed, call that guy,” Walz said, pointing to Shapiro and referencing his work to quickly reopen I-95 after a portion of it collapsed in Philadelphia last year.

“And there is no one you would rather go to a [Bruce] Springsteen concert in Jersey with than him,” Walz added, noting that the two governors once attended a show together.

Shapiro, in his 20-minute remarks, also referenced an issue that came up during the vetting process: his Jewish faith.

The United States has never elected a Jewish president or vice president and Shapiro faced criticism in recent weeks from pro-Palestinian advocates for his stance on Israel and its war in Gaza, some of it breaching into antisemitism.

Republicans were quick to suggest Tuesday that Shapiro’s religion was a reason why he was not selected. Sen. JD Vance, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, said during a campaign stop in Philadelphia that Shapiro had to “run away from his Jewish heritage” as he sought the position of vice president.

Shapiro, who did not downplay his faith as Vance suggested, had a response to that Tuesday at the Liacouras Center. He said his family and his faith led him to a career in public service.

“I am proud of my faith,” he said, unequivocally.

Even as the rally attendees cheered on Harris and Walz, some expressed disappointment that a Pennsylvanian didn’t end up on the top of the ticket.

“I really wanted him. He’s from here, and he knows us,” said Myriam Santiago, 71, of Germantown. “But I think he has a great future ahead of him. I think he’s going to be a presidential candidate at some point.”

Staff writer Jesse Bunch contributed reporting.