Inside Josh Shapiro’s under-the-radar campaign to be the Democratic vice presidential nominee

The branding on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s political emails changed last week, from “Shapiro for Governor” to “Governor Shapiro,” with an image of an American flag.

It was a subtle but telling change. Shapiro wasn’t running for governor anymore.

Shapiro, a front-runner to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, has navigated the last two weeks with a cool but strategic demeanor as he delivers an under-the-radar — but also very public — audition for the No. 2 spot on the Democratic ticket in November.

As the other could-be running mates became frequent guests on cable news, Shapiro stayed away from the cable TV circuit and continued with his often mundane day-to-day travel that comes with being a governor, under a much brighter spotlight.

He also hit the campaign trail, attending three rallies in four days for Harris and speaking with the crushes of reporters who showed up to his governor’s office events. He took every question, but avoided direct discussion of the veepstakes, simply praising Harris and repeating that he didn’t want to put undue pressure on her “extremely personal decision.”

As the announcement nears, Shapiro’s last week in the spotlight has illustrated his careful but purposeful messaging style. It also previewed how he might stump across the country, if selected, and showcased the fans he already has and the progressive critics who could challenge him.

”He’s handled it perfectly,” said Philadelphia Democratic Party chair Bob Brady, who has been openly campaigning for Shapiro to get the position. “The way he’s acting now is the way a vice president should act because there’s a little hit on him that he could try to upstage her, he’s acting perfectly, showing it’s not about him.”

Shapiro met on Wednesday with Harris’ campaign as part of the vetting process, according to two sources familiar with the process. And speculation swirled that he could be her choice, first when Harris’ campaign announced she would debut her running mate in Philadelphia and then when Shapiro canceled planned weekend events.

But Harris’ campaign has not provided any insight into the decision, and others — including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear — reportedly were also vetted.

”I want a future where I can look the 47th president of the United States in the eye and say, ‘Hello, Madam President,’” Shapiro said to a raucous crowd in his home county at a Harris campaign event earlier this week. He also made a number of jabs at former President Donald Trump.

Shapiro’s name had already entered the conversation about possible running mates — and, previously as a longshot top-of-the-ticket replacement — weeks before it was clear that President Joe Biden would drop out of the race. Biden’s decision sent the conversation about Shapiro into overdrive.

Hours after Biden’s announcement, Brady began publicly pushing for Shapiro to be Harris’ running mate. A cascade of endorsements followed, from state House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, labor leaders, and others. Shapiro could have said at any moment he did not want to be considered, or asked his longtime friends to stop pitching him publicly. But he didn’t.

“He’s said, ‘You don’t have to do that,’” Brady said of all the promotional work. “But when I do it, he don’t kick me.”

But critics started weighing in as well. A group of pro-Palestinian voters wrote an open letter opposing Shapiro as a vice presidential pick because of his ardent defense of Israel. Some of Shapiro’s supporters rushed to his defense, arguing he was being unfairly targeted because he is Jewish.

When another line of criticism came in — this time over Shapiro’s past support for school vouchers — his staff started doing some damage control.

In a July 24 letter from more than two dozen education advocacy groups from across the country, the groups urged Harris not to pick Shapiro due to his openness to school vouchers.

“We respectfully ask you not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has supported education policies mirroring Project 2025,” the letter states, referring to conservative policy proposals for a second term under Trump and spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation.

It was not a coincidence that another letter came out the following day defending Shapiro, with signatures of more than 50 labor leaders, including from two Pennsylvania teachers’ unions. Representatives of two unions that signed the letter and another one that was asked but declined to sign on said Shapiro’s top aides had asked them to join the letter.

“Governor Shapiro shows up every day to stand alongside us in the fight for that vision, and through tumult, we remain united by our shared interest in championing working people and investing in workers, families, and communities,” the letter read.

On social media, Shapiro’s account touted his record on education, which includes increases to public school funding and expanding free school breakfast, mental health services, and special education programming.

“For two years in a row, we worked across the aisle to deliver historic funding for our K-12 public schools,” he wrote.

With an announcement coming any day now — at the latest on Tuesday, when Harris plans to appear for the first time with her running mate on a stage in Philadelphia — both Shapiro’s supporters and detractors are waiting to see if he’ll catapult into the national spotlight and join the ticket.

“Selecting him at this moment would give the GOP much joy and, even more importantly, send a terrible message to the young, progressive, and working-class voters that VP Harris will need to win this election,” said Claire Gawinowicz, a Democratic organizer in Montgomery County, who doesn’t want to see Shapiro become the pick.

As he’s absorbed an avalanche of national attention, Shapiro’s presented as unfazed. His supporters say that’s partly because he came into the running mate race well defined, without much in his power to affect a decision. He’s already shown his campaigning chops in a number of moments on the national stage and as a top surrogate for Biden’s campaign. In recent days he got even more attention stumping for Harris with a “real-talk,” style (curse words included) that some pundits compared to Barack Obama’s delivery.

“If you think of it as a portfolio when you’re applying for a job, Josh has the portfolio,” said Gianni Hill, a DNC delegate and adviser to the Philadelphia Democratic Party. “A lot of the other contenders have been scrambling to put their portfolio together.”

Larry Ceisler, a public affairs consultant who has known Shapiro for a long time, said Shapiro’s benefit to the ticket is well known and unlikely to shift with more exposure.

“The thing is, Josh doesn’t have to campaign for this,” Ceisler said. “A Democrat is not gonna win the White House without winning Pennsylvania, and that’s what he brings.”

On Tuesday night, one of the biggest moments of the presidential campaign will play out on Shapiro’s home turf. It could be a historic, career-defining moment, or a humbling curtain call on the last two weeks.

“Josh is gonna be on the stage on Tuesday,” Ceisler said. “The only question is: Is he gonna be the guy introducing, or the guy introduced?”