Kamala Harris considering swing-state radical for running mate

Vice President Kamala Harris was reportedly able to overcome the distraction of the market bloodbath in order to narrow her choice of a right-hand man to either Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz or 51-year-old Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. She is expected to reveal her choice of Democratic running mate prior to her Tuesday rally in Philadelphia.

While both finalists share a leftist reflex in common with the vice president, Shapiro appears favored to win — particularly by bookies.

While Harris' potential running mate confidently accused clerics living and dead of abuse, he apparently had trouble flushing out possible predators in his own inner circle.

Shapiro served as a state representative from 2005 until starting a new chapter in 2011 on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. In 2016, he ran for state attorney general and succeeded in that effort aided by an endorsement from former President Barack Obama.

While Shapiro handily beat Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano (R) in the 2022 gubernatorial race, taking over 56% of the vote, it's unclear whether he would be able to replicate that success in the Keystone State for its 19 electoral votes while hitched to Harris' wagon — especially with President Donald Trump consistently leading Harris in the state.

Shapiro's approval rating in Pennsylvania is 49% according to a recent Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey. Former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) suggested last month to WPVI-TV that in terms of the vote, Shapiro could help fetch Harris up to 1.5% "and that might be the difference."

Nationally, having Shapiro on the ticket could help the campaign reassure moderate voters that a Harris administration would not be any weaker on anti-Semitism than the current administration. After all, Shapiro is a proud Jewish American who let people believe for decades that he volunteered for the Israeli military and has reportedly compared anti-Israel protesters to the KKK.

Shapiro's identity with and support for Israel may alternatively prove problematic for Harris, as both seem to rankle the pro-Hamas elements of the Democratic Party, particularly those who would overlook his suggestion that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is "one of the worst leaders of all time" and seize upon his 1993 article titled "Peace Not Possible," which states, "Peace between Arabs and Israelis is virtually impossible and will never come."

Some Democrats have also voiced concern about Shapiro on account of his backing of school vouchers.

He could, however, win them over with his radicalism on other issues.

For instance, he has supported allowing transvestites to use girls' bathrooms; fought to ensure that men can compete in women's sports; played a role in making it harder to save Pennsylvanian children from sex changes; and underscored that abortion should always be legal.

Shapiro would also likely complement Harris' overt anti-Catholic prejudice with what Mastriano characterized as a "grudge" all his own.

Blaze News previously reported that in 2017, then-state Attorney General Shapiro announced at a Planned Parenthood center that he was suing the Trump administration for providing religious nonprofits with an exemption from having to provide insurance coverage for contraceptives and other services at odds with their deeply held religious convictions.

Despite Shapiro's best efforts, the Little Sisters of the Poor, a group of nuns who were threatened with the prospect of millions of dollars in fines for noncompliance, ultimately fought back and won.

While state attorney general, Shapiro also waged a crusade against alleged pedophile clerics in the Catholic Church, which served to boost his profile outside the state.

Without apparently cross-examining witnesses or affording the accused an opportunity to rebut the claims, the report resulting from then-state Attorney General Shapiro's grand jury investigation claimed that 301 Catholic priests — some of whom were dead or no longer priests — were predators. Only two were apparently prosecuted. The dioceses implicated in the report later paid out $84 million to settle claims by 564 alleged victims.

Shapiro's conduct relating to the investigation, his extrajudicial comments concerning the accused, the nature of the investigation, and the corresponding claims about abuse in the church were met with fierce criticism, with some suggesting the secret grand jury's report was "misleading." Shapiro was, however, largely celebrated by the liberal media for the report and his routine condemnations of the church.

While Harris' potential running mate confidently accused clerics living and dead of abuse, he apparently had trouble flushing out possible predators in his own inner circle.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Shapiro's administration agreed to pay nearly $300,000 last year to quietly settle a sexual harassment complaint made against one of his closest allies and senior aides, Mike Vereb.

An employee accused Vereb of repeatedly harassing her, making foul remarks, and making sexual advances. When she complained, Vereb allegedly retaliated against her. Vereb also apparently remained in his role in Shapiro's administration for six months after the woman's complaint was filed and only resigned weeks after the settlement had been reached.

When the alleged abuser finally left, Shapiro's office celebrated him for his "dedicated service," reported the New York Times.

The scandal has come back to bite Shapiro.

In a recent post on X suggesting North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) would be an optimal VP pick, Pennsylvania's Democratic nominee for treasurer, Erin McClelland, took a swipe at Shapiro, writing, "I want a VP pick that's secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won't undermine the President to maneuver his own election & doesn't sweep sexual harassment under the rug."

The National Women's Defense League noted in a statement Monday, "What we know of Gov. Shapiro's actions indicate an alarming negligence and a pattern of endangering women that work for and with his office. His failure to be forthcoming and take greater accountability – even as more concerning information comes to light – should be of serious concern to Pennsylvanians, and as a Vice President frontrunner, to the Harris Campaign and the American people."

Although Shapiro ostensibly has a blind spot when it comes to abusers under his command, Time magazine zeroed in Saturday on something besides moral consistency that he might be able to help the Harris campaign with: intelligibility when speaking in public.

While some may have forgotten the appeal and importance of a gifted orator after nearly eight years of Trump and Biden, voters must not forget the many [sic] of the memorable speeches delivered by President Barack Obama. Some commentators have compared Governor Shapiro's speaking abilities to those of Obama, noting that they even sound alike.

The authors of the Time piece carefully avoided any mention of Harris' often-mocked speeches but nevertheless acknowledged that Shapiro could satisfy those "long[ing] for skilled speakers."

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