Josh Shapiro was everywhere at the DNC, boosting Kamala Harris and his own future

CHICAGO — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned around the country this week without ever leaving the Windy City.

On Wednesday morning, he got a standing ovation from a group of bleary-eyed New Hampshire delegates, a crowd that’s familiar with vetting potential presidential candidates.

“I specifically wanted to be here in New Hampshire this morning … because when the power is in the hands of New Hampshire, you all know how to pick a president, and you know how to get the job done,” Shapiro told the 80 delegates gathered for breakfast in a room at the Westin overlooking Lake Michigan.

Afterward, he took an elevator up the third floor to speak to delegates from Nevada — another early primary state — and then back down to New Jersey on the second floor. Hours later, he delivered a prime-time address on the main convention stage.

“Today we find ourselves writing the next chapter,” Shapiro said from the United Center stage. “Will we be a nation defined by chaos and extremism? Or will we choose a path of decency, honor and continued progress?”

» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro gives a prime-time speech at the DNC defining ‘real freedom’

Shapiro, 51, lost the highly watched veepstakes two weeks ago but he’s been a welcomed — and busy — surrogate across state delegations, receptions, and Democratic caucus meetings at the convention. It wasn’t the job he auditioned for, but he’s leaned into it all the same, boosting his profile in crowds that include influential party brass as he keeps a potential eye on the 2028 or 2032 presidential race.

Conventions have historically elevated politicians, like President Barack Obama, who was a candidate for Senate when he addressed the convention in 2004, just four years before he won the presidency.

Shapiro entered the week already in the national spotlight. Throngs of reporters followed him around this week as he made headlines slamming former President Donald Trump and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Scott Perry, and shrugging off a feud with Sen. John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s other prominent national political figure, who skipped the convention.

The veepstakes drew both praise and scrutiny of Shapiro, but in Chicago, he got mostly admiration.

“You know and I know, Governor Shapiro is a well-organized, principled politician with centrist views that has attraction all over this country,” Philadelphia Building Trades union president Ryan Boyer said at a reception for Black Philadelphia leaders in Chicago. “So a whole lotta breakfasts wanna hear from him.”

And the rooms Shapiro spoke to (filled with plugged-in party loyalists and elected leaders who mostly know him well) greeted him warmly. Arkansas delegates seeking a photo chased him into the hallway after his remarks to their delegation on Monday.

Their vice chair, Jannie Cotton had introduced him as the “favorite VP pick among the delegates.”

Shapiro filmed a short BeReal video for a younger New Hampshire supporter and then signed a middle-aged woman’s copy of “Democracy in Retrograde.” At the Nevada breakfast, enough delegates swarmed him after his remarks, that a staffer suggested a group picture to keep his schedule on track.

He told South Carolina delegates he’d be seeing a lot of them. The state, where Shapiro vacations, played a major role in winning President Joe Biden the Democratic nomination four years ago.

Throughout his appearances, Shapiro promoted the Harris-Walz ticket, as well as his administration’s work. He wasn’t the only one in the veep conversation who was making the rounds this week. Govs. Gretchen Whitmer, of Michigan, Andy Beshear, of Kentucky, Wes Moore, of Maryland, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg were all making similar stops.

“Our up-and-coming future leaders are really impressive. We have a really strong bench,” said Jim Demurs, a New Hampshire delegate attending his 10th convention.

But Demurs noted that Shapiro, who spoke at the New Hampshire state party’s annual dinner last year, has been making friends in the key early state.

“New Hampshire people have gotten to see him, they’ve gotten to know him, and they’re starting to make friendships,” Demurs said. “Bill Clinton is the classic example of a guy who came to New Hampshire for literally a dozen years before he ever decided to run for president... So making these relationships is really a good move.”

Some of the focus on Shapiro is an extension of Pennsylvania’s key role in the election and how that’s been highlighted throughout the week in Chicago. He got a prime-time speaking slot on Wednesday night and helped cast the state’s ceremonial roll call votes for Harris on Tuesday.

The governor, who avoided TV interviews in the two-week span he was being considered as Harris’ running mate, did sit-down interviews with several national outlets, including Politico, CNN, and Fox News.

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

“I’ve been on the ballot since 2004 in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a conversation with Politico. “I have never lost an election. I’ve run in three statewide elections, I’ve won all three, and twice set a record for the most votes ever. So I know a little something about winning in Pennsylvania.”

His stump speeches were similar across audiences, with some regional flair. He talked about getting “s—” done with Arkansas and opted for the more family friendly “stuff,” with New Hampshire. He commended Nevada Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen, who is up for reelection this year and who formerly ran a Jewish Temple.

“You might not know this because they haven’t really covered it, but I’m Jewish,” Shapiro told Nevadans. “I will tell you this it is way harder being a synagogue president than being a U.S. senator.”

Trump claimed in Wilkes-Barre last week that Shapiro’s Jewish faith played a role in Harris’ decision to reject him as a running mate, a claim that has been forcefully rebutted by both Shapiro and the Harris campaign.

Across all of his speeches, Shapiro hit what has become a theme — broadly defending freedom and preaching the governing productivity that he said voters crave, without many specifics.

“They want us to go out and put points on the board for them every day, get stuff done to make sure their kids have a great education, that they’ve got those safe communities to live in, and they’ve got real opportunity,” Shapiro said at the New Hampshire breakfast. “They want us to protect their fundamental rights and their freedoms, and that my friends, is the cause of my work.”

A “real freedoms” happy hour hosted by Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, echoed the theme, and featured mini Chicago-style hot dogs and an opportunity for the governor to address his home state crowd in front of a keystone draped in red, white, and blue linen.

The event was packed with Pennsylvania Democrats who had publicly supported Shapiro becoming the vice presidential pick.

Delegates from outside Pennsylvania largely had a positive impression of Shapiro and said they considered him part of a group of could-be future presidents. None of the more than a dozen delegates interviewed named a favorite in a highly theoretical contest that is still years away while at a convention focused on Harris.

“He’s straightforward, a good speaker, very polished but will he be a favorite? That’s the $64 question,” said Tony Tollefson, a retired member of the United Auto Workers and Michigan delegate who watched Shapiro speak at a Labor Council meeting. “You got six, seven governors, or senators lining up to be the guy or gal. And eight years from now, that’s an eternity.”

Shapiro has faced scrutiny from teachers unions because of his support for private school vouchers, but he did have support of Pennsylvania organized labor groups during the VP selection process.

Veda Kanitt, a Minnesota delegate who was happy Walz got the VP nod, was impressed with Shapiro’s remarks at the labor event, particularly when he talked about securing pay for aspiring teachers. But she’s not thinking about any election beyond November. “We need to send Trump packing for good, so he never runs again,” Kanitt said.

Wyoming delegate Ken Chastek said Shapiro has the “sound and fire of Barack Obama.” But Chastek, who grew up in Pennsylvania before moving to Wyoming, said his neighbors without ties are not nearly as familiar. “I don’t think he’s a household name yet by any means.”

Some delegates said Shapiro came off as a great orator, but was perhaps a little too polished and questioned how well he’d connect.

Carlos Cardona, a delegate from New Hampshire, commended Shapiro’s aggressive stumping schedule for Harris after losing out on the running mate role. “He’s a team player ... and I think that’s really the theme in this convention.”

“He would be a great presidential candidate,” Cardona added. “Whenever he’s ready, we’ll be there, ready to welcome him and interview him for the job.”

Staff writers Sean Collins Walsh and Gillian McGoldrick contributed to this article.