Shapiro again rebuffs VP speculation after reportedly landing on shortlist

• By Trebor Maitin/WITF

Correction: The site of the Democratic convention was incorrect in the original version of this story. 

The national press descended upon blue-collar Pennsylvania for the second day in a row Tuesday to hear the same answer to the same question: Will Gov. Josh Shapiro be joining the Democratic presidential ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris?

The answer?

“That’s a deeply personal decision for her to make.”

It’s a refrain Shapiro turned to twice during a rowdy Pittsburgh news conference Monday and twice more the day after. Just as during Monday’s event, Shapiro on Tuesday slung broadsides against former President Donald Trump and played up his 20-year relationship with Harris.

“She is tough as nails,” Shapiro said of Harris. “She doesn’t suffer fools. Like me, she has been a prosecutor, she stood up for the rule of law and she has always stood for the people.”

The rampant speculation of Shapiro’s vice-presidential ambitions was bolstered by ABC News reporting early Tuesday that the governor is on a shortlist to join the ticket. The other name reportedly on the list is Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former astronaut.

Shapiro denied being asked for or submitting vetting materials to the Harris campaign but demurred when asked if he intended to complete his first term as governor, which ends in 2027.

“I’m focused on doing my work, I’m here doing it and that’s all I’m focused on,” he said.

Several elected Pennsylvania Democrats have rallied around Shapiro as a vice presidential nominee, including state House Speaker Joanna McClinton of Philadelphia and U.S. Reps. Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild from competitive Northeast Pennsylvania districts.

A popular swing-state governor, Shapiro is widely viewed as a vessel for Harris to nab Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes. He was even considered a strong presidential contender before he and the Democratic Party closed ranks around the vice president. 

Shapiro beat his last statewide opponent, Trump-backed state Sen. Doug Mastriano, by nearly 15 points in 2022.

Shapiro has garnered a reputation as a moderate dealmaker, taking on some positions popular with the GOP, including school choice. He won praise even from Republicans after delivering an emotional tribute to the Pennsylvania man killed at a Trump rally last week.

Democrats are set to formally nominate a vice presidential nominee by the end of the Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago from Aug. 19 to 22.