CARLISLE, Pa. — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hit the campaign trail on Saturday to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris in the Keystone State.
Shapiro, 51, delivered a 20-minute rallying cry at a “Weekend of Action Volunteer Kick-Off ” Saturday morning at the Rendezvous Run Farm in Carlisle, near Harrisburg, and was joined by local Harris for President volunteers.
“She is someone who has always been for the people. I knew her when she was a courtroom prosecutor. And let me tell you something, she is tough as nails,” Shapiro said — boasting that the two have been pals for decades.
“We’ve seen her stand up for those who have been harmed. We’ve seen her stand up and do what is right. We saw in the courtroom. We’ve also seen it in the halls of power.
“When she was attorney general, she took on the big banks, she took on the big pharmaceutical companies, and every single fight she was in, she won on behalf of the people,” Shapiro continued.
Harris, 59, is now embarking on a four-month sprint to the 2024 election after Democrats ousted President Biden from the ticket and the 81-year-old endorsed her.
Shapiro is widely viewed as a leading contender for selection as Harris’ running mate. He is popular in the Keystone State and viewed as a moderate who would balance out Harris — whose voting record as a senator made her the chamber’s most liberal, according to GovTrack.
The Pennsylvania governor also used his remarks to demonstrate how he might be able to bring the fight to former President Donald Trump, 78 — should he be tapped for the No. 2 job.
“When Donald Trump was president for four years, we all lived in a state of chaos. Y’all remember that,” he said.
“That level of chaos harmed our standing, not just here domestically, but all throughout the world.”
He also leaned into abortion and the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — widely viewed as Trump’s chief vulnerability in the race.
“One promise he made was that he was going to rip away the freedom of millions of women across this country to be able to make decisions over their own bodies. He packed the Supreme Court, and they ripped away our fundamental freedom,” he said.
Shapiro would almost certainly deliver Pennsylvania into the Democratic column — a critical swing state, Harris cannot lose in the upcoming contest.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, is currently facing a concerted campaign by pro-Hamas progressives upset by his strong support of Israel. He is also facing allegations from inside his own state of not moving fast enough to address a sexual misconduct allegation against a former top staffer.
The governor, who was state attorney general for six years before taking office in 2023, mingled with rally attendees after speaking.