Pa. Republicans want to send a ‘thank you’ card to Kamala Harris after she passes on Josh Shapiro

In Vice President Kamala Harris’ search for a running mate, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s connection to Pennsylvania was perhaps his strongest selling point.

The state is widely viewed as a must-win for Democrats this year. Shapiro has won by big margins in several of his last statewide races and he’s liked by some Republican and independent voters.

While there’s little evidence to show that vice presidential candidates carry their own state to victory, Shapiro’s popularity here was seen as an asset.

Harris’ pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, though, has a personal story that could have unique appeal in the Midwest and in rural parts of Pennsylvania where President Joe Biden won back just enough Democrats to help him carry the state.

”People keep saying that Pennsylvania is the Midwest but Montgomery County isn’t the Midwest,” one statewide Democratic strategist said. “So if you’re trying to keep the working-class Americans attracted to Joe Biden, Tim Walz does that more than Josh Shapiro.”

By missing out on the ticket, Shapiro may also have more time to campaign for Harris in his home state, without the added job of jetting around the country.

”Of course the governor of Pennsylvania is better known and liked in Pennsylvania than the governor of Minnesota,” Democratic strategist J.J. Balaban said. “But Pennsylvania isn’t the only swing state, and there are many reasons that Walz could be an asset to the Democratic ticket here. He’s a veteran and a teacher who represented a mostly rural swing district … knowing how to connect in rural areas and small towns is a real asset in Pennsylvania.”

Republican officials across Pennsylvania, once worried about Shapiro becoming the VP pick, citing his across-the-aisle appeal, spent Tuesday celebrating Harris’ choice of a running mate.

”Thank you, Kamala,” said Pat Poprik, the Bucks County GOP chair, where Republicans now outnumber Democrats in one of the state’s most purple counties. “I want to send her a ‘thank-you’ card.”

By choosing Walz, Harris made Poprik’s job of electing Republicans much easier because “she picked someone so liberal,” she said.

”Voters in Pennsylvania will see that their governor got passed over for someone not in step” with their moderate views, Poprik added.

Samuel Chen, a Republican consultant, said it would have been difficult for Democrats to pick a worse candidate than former President Donald Trump’s chosen running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R., Ohio), who doubles down on Trump’s populist ideas. But Walz doesn’t bring much to the table, either, to help balance the ticket. This is in contrast with Shapiro, he said, who would have helped Democrats appeal to more disaffected and unaffiliated voters whom campaigns need to win in swing states.

”In the Trump campaign this morning, they’re breathing a sigh of relief,” Chen added.

Pennsylvania last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 2016. Meanwhile, it’s been more than 50 years since deep-blue Minnesota voted for one, Chen added. Even in 1984, when 49 states voted for Ronald Reagan, Minnesota still voted blue (albeit for Minnesota native Walter Mondale).

”If you’re trying to expand the party to reach those swing voters, those unaffiliated voters, you’re not doing it by going further to your left,” Chen said. “This is an unforced error by the Harris campaign.”

Typically, presidential candidates will try to balance the ticket; they’ll choose a person with a specific strength to fill in where the candidate has a perceived weakness, said Berwood Yost, the director of the Franklin and Marshall College Poll. For example, Trump chose former Vice President Mike Pence to help him reach conservative evangelical voters, or former President Barack Obama chose President Joe Biden to be his running mate to fill his lack of experience.

If Harris chose Shapiro, she might have had more leeway to change her views on top issues such as fracking for swing voters in battleground states, Yost added. Harris, who previously opposed fracking, has recently changed her view.

”It’s easier to come in and say to Pennsylvania, ‘I do support fracking, here’s how [Shapiro] helped me change my perspective,’” Yost said.

But Shapiro will remain a top surrogate for Harris, said Brendan McPhillips, a senior adviser to the Harris campaign.

“The governor didn’t go anywhere. He’s still gonna be actively campaigning in support of the ticket,” McPhillips added. “He put out a supportive statement just a little while ago, and I feel very confident that as Pa. voters get to know who Gov. Walz is, there’s just a lot to love about him.”

Some Republicans were offended by how Shapiro was treated by the progressive wing of the Democratic Party as it pushed for Walz.

”It is regrettable that, in a state known for moderation and common decency, the governor’s worst enemies turned out to be members of his own party,” said Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, who is up for reelection this year.

Democrats, for their part, quickly began trying to fight off some of the GOP criticism of Walz as being “too liberal” by letting him be himself: a veteran, former school teacher and coach, and Midwestern dad, said McPhillips.