Biden is first incumbent president to not seek reelection since LBJ
President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he would not seek reelection as the 2024 Democratic nominee for president.
Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen her running mate, announcing Tuesday morning that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will join her on the ticket.
The decision comes two weeks after President Joe Biden announced he would not seek reelection and quickly endorsed Harris as his pick for president.
Harris’ list of potential running mates included Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was said to be among the final top choices from a long list of possible candidates that included Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and U.S. transportation secretary and former Naval officer Pete Buttigieg.
Tuesday’s decision was made while Harris campaigned in Philadelphia. She will speak late Tuesday afternoon at Temple University’s Liacouras Center.
Shapiro stumps for Harris in Ambler: Gov. Josh Shapiro comes home for Pa. rally for Kamala Harris in Ambler. Is he VP pick?
While Shapiro is no longer a potential pick for VP, the lawmaker from Montgomery County appears poised to continue stumping for Harris as the Nov. 5 election draws closer. Shapiro is scheduled to speak at her first swing state blitz stop this afternoon.
“My work here in Pennsylvania is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for our Commonwealth. Over the next 92 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat Donald Trump. See you tonight in Philly,” Shapiro tweeted.
Harris and Walz will continue their tour through key battleground states with stops in western Wisconsin, Detroit, Raleigh, N.C., Savannah, Ga., Phoenix and Las Vegas through Saturday.
The Democratic National Convention, where it’s expected delegates will name Harris as the party’s nominee, begins Aug. 19 and runs through Aug. 22 in Chicago.
While Shapiro didn’t win “Veep-stakes,” the Pennsylvania governor’s political career spanning nearly 20 years undoubtedly help make him a popular choice.
Who is Josh Shapiro?
Shapiro has held an elected office at the county or state level in Pennsylvania since 2005, when voters sent him to represent the state’s 153rd District, and has yet to lose an election.
Born June 20, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, Shapiro was raised in the Dresher area of Upper Dublin, near the border Abington Township.
After graduating high school in 1991 from Akiba Hebrew Academy, now the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, Shapiro then went to the University of Rochester where he earned a degree in political science.
Who is Josh Shapiro?: Shapiro as VP could boost a Harris ticket in Pa. What to know about the popular governor
Shapiro met his wife, Lori, while attending high school. They now have four children.
He worked on Capitol Hill on the staffs of U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, U.S. Rep. Peter Deutsch, U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli and U.S. Rep. Joe Hoefell while studying nights at Georgetown University Law Center. Shapiro earned a doctorate there in 2002.
Shapiro returned to Abington with his family not long after as he began to pursue a career in politics.
Shapiro’s political career in Pennsylvania
Shapiro ran and won the 153rd District seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2004, serving on the appropriations, finance, insurance, judiciary and state government committees.
After being elected to four two-year terms in the district representing Abington and part of Upper Dublin, he successfully ran for a seat on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2012.
Shapiro was appointed as chairman of the commissioners after winning the election, the first time a Democrat held the position in over a century.
Pa. Dems back Harris: After Biden exits race, Kamala Harris is the Pa. Democratic delegation’s pick
Shapiro’s tenure as Attorney General, from 2017 to 2022 was marked by his efforts to tackle the opioid crisis, protect consumers, and uphold civil rights. Shapiro resigned as Attorney General after winning the 2022 gubernatorial race.
As governor, he has focused on expanding access to education, improving healthcare, and fostering economic development.
Shapiro played a significant role in the response to the I-95 collapse in Philadelphia, ensuring swift action and coordination to reopen the crucial highway ahead of schedule.
Josh Shapiro is battle-tested against a MAGA Republican
With its 19 electoral college votes up for grabs, Pennsylvania will be a critical swing state in the 2024 election.
As Harris’ campaign continues, Shapiro and other Democrats might hammer on past wins against Trump and his supporters.
Biden beat Trump in Pennsylvania by about 80,555 votes in 2020, and Shapiro had a notable win in the 2022 race for governor.
Shapiro defeated Sen. Doug Mastriano, of Franklin County, two years ago in a landslide after raising eight times as much as the Trump-endorsed Republican.
A look at religion and the RNC: ‘A religious rally’: Trump’s Republican National Convention fuses faith and politics
Mastriano was an advocate for Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud in 2020, even hosting one of the earliest events casting aspersions on the outcome at a hearing in Gettysburg just weeks after the polls had closed.
The support from Trump and Mastriano’s hardline stance on outlawing abortion with no exceptions were frequently criticized by Shapiro’s campaign and its supporters throughout the race.
Shapiro’s 12-point win that November was one in a series of disappointing races for the MAGA movement.
Shapiro has cited his past wins against the Trump campaign’s 2020 attempts to challenge election results in Pennsylvania has he’s rallied for Harris since July.
USA Today contributed to this report.
Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66b23eb0cb174ca4b4527b3ecc30dc9f&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fnews%2Fpolitics%2Felections%2F2024%2F08%2F06%2Fpa-gov-josh-shapiro-vice-president-election-2024-kamala-harris-trump-governor-walz-pa-swing-state%2F74504511007%2F&c=11486982269505316012&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-08-06 04:10:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
