Just last week, Kamala Harris seemed set to pick Governor Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) as her running mate. Despite facing backlash from progressives and numerous scandalous leaks, Shapiro was the clear frontrunner, as the prevailing wisdom suggested Kamala needed a “moderate” swing-state Democrat to secure the 270 Electoral College votes needed for victory. Shapiro remained a top contender even after serious allegations of covering up harassment in his office emerged. Remarkably, even accusations involving a murder cover-up did not disqualify him.
In 2011, Ellen Greenberg, a 27-year-old teacher, was found dead in the apartment she shared with her fiancé, Sam Goldberg. Her body had 20 stab and slash wounds, including several in the back of her neck and head, with a knife lodged in her chest. Initially, Philadelphia Assistant Medical Examiner Marlon Osbourne ruled her death a homicide. However, after police disputed this finding, Osbourne inexplicably changed the ruling to suicide. When the case landed on then-Pennsylvania Attorney General Shapiro’s desk in 2019, he upheld the suicide determination, raising suspicions about his ties to the fiancé’s family.
Shapiro appeared eager for the vice-presidential spot, even at the cost of compromising his principles to appeal to the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Politico reported that his interview with Harris did not go well. A source close to Shapiro’s team noted, “There was not a great feeling” after the meeting, and Shapiro supposedly called Harris’ team to express his “struggle with the decision to leave his current job as governor.”
Does anyone genuinely believe Shapiro was torn about leaving his current position? It’s more likely that Shapiro saw the writing on the wall after a dismal jobs report on Friday and a subsequent stock market crash on Monday. Realizing the high risk of joining the Harris ticket, he wisely bailed out.
If Shapiro had real reservations about leaving his governor post, he would have exited the race at the same time as Governors Gretchen Whitmer (D-Mich.) and Roy Cooper (D-N.C.). Cooper, who claims he wants to run for the Senate in 2026, passed on the VP opportunity—because it’s perfectly normal to decline a chance to be vice president. Like Cooper, Shapiro, clearly eyeing the job, likely interpreted the unfavorable signs and opted out.
In essence, Shapiro’s withdrawal was a calculated move, not a genuine struggle with leaving his current role. It’s clear he wanted the job but decided the risks were too significant to stake his political future on a Harris ticket that appeared increasingly shaky.
