Pa. business leaders weigh in on Shapiro for VP speculation

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President Joe Biden stepping down as the presumptive Democratic nominee Sunday and his subsequent endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president prompted numerous questions, not the least of which concerns the candidate for VP. 

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is among those who have been paired with Harris on a hypothetical Democrats’ ticket, along with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, governors Andy Beshea of Kentucky and Wes Moore of Maryland, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, the latter visiting Pennsylvania a week ago to join Shapiro in announcing a massive $500 million federal infrastructure grant from the Biden-Harris Administration. 

Shapiro has restricted his comments on the possibility of being VP to endorsing Harris, the two former prosecutors having known each other for over 20 years. Shapiro spoke with Harris by phone Sunday in a call that he said was about beating Republican nominee Donald Trump. 

“All I’m focused on is defeating Donald Trump,” Shapiro said Monday in Pittsburgh. “I served as attorney general when he was president. I had to take that guy to court over and over again, by the way, won every single time, to defend our right to vote, to defend women’s reproductive rights, to defend the rights of workers to be able to form and join a union. We don’t want to go back to that.” 

Shapiro defeated Republican Doug Mastriano in the 2022 gubernatorial race, setting a record for the most votes ever cast for a candidate for Pennsylvania Governor. He was Pennsylvania’s Attorney General under former Gov. Tom Wolf’s from 2017-2023. Shapiro stepped into the national spotlight following the collapse of I-95 in Philadelphia, his administration working to reopen the highway in 12 days, reinforcing the governor’s motto that his administration “Gets (stuff) done.” 

According to a Quinnipiac poll taken recently, Shapiro has a 60% approval rating. A New York Times poll conducted in May shows Shapiro is popular with a third of Trump’s supporters in Pennsylvania, a battleground state in the November election.

“The road to the White House runs through Pennsylvania,” PA Chamber President Luke Bernstein said. “The speculation that Gov. Shapiro could be chosen as the vice-presidential candidate further elevates Pennsylvania on the national stage, underscoring our place as the most important state in the nation this election.

“This also highlights the bipartisan work on tax reform, permitting modernization, and workforce development that we’ve recently undertaken to make Pennsylvania more competitive. The governor, along with Republican leaders in the state Senate, have demonstrated a commendable ability to collaborate on economic competitiveness. In a time of increased polarization and political division, Pennsylvania stands out as a battleground state with a divided legislature that has enacted several pro-business, economic policies.

“For many reasons, Governor Shapiro would be a strong pick for VP. While we do not agree on everything, I have known the governor for a long time. We’ve worked together on many issues, and I consider him a friend.”

Lehigh Valley Chamber President and CEO Tony Iannelli has hosted the Emmy-nominated Business Matters for 20 years and spoke recently with Shapiro.

“He’s got a great personality, he’s personable,” said Iannelli. “I find him to be more of a bridge-builder, not so totally unyielding (political) party-focused. He tries to work with both sides, and I like that, I think that’s been good for the commonwealth.

“He’s very bright and he’s got a ton of potential as governor. I would hate to see him leave, but I think he would be a great asset to the new Democratic slate.”

Iannelli emphasized that the LV Chamber is not affiliated with any political party.

“We work hard to make sure we work with all the governors to get as much accomplished as we can and try to avoid dug-in party politics,” he said. “I’ve worked with all (Pennsylvania governors) and had all of them on my show since (Ed) Rendell, and (Shapiro) is as bright as any and he’s more available than any I’ve worked with, in terms of the amount of times he’s been here in the Valley. I think he’s more open to politics/business from both sides of the aisle.

“Working across the aisle today is not easy, because of social media. Many governors could shy away from Chambers of Commerce because traditionally they’ve been Republican-focused, conservative-focused. But I think (Shapiro) has been business-focused, economic development’s been a priority of his. Is he perfect? No. Do I like him as our governor? Yes. Do I think he’s a formidable vice-presidential candidate? Yes, to that also.”

The Commonwealth Foundation takes an opposing stance. The Harrisburg-based think tank released an ad stating that while some political pundits believe Shapiro would provide the Democratic presidential ticket a boost in a battleground state, that will only be true “if voters ignore the governor’s lack of success and his failure to unite people to get things done.” 

Commonwealth Foundation Senior Vice President Erik Telford said despite talking a big game, Shapiro has struggled to deliver on campaign promises.

“He promised to reach across the aisle and bring people together, but his inexperience with the legislature resulted in a humiliating defeat after fellow Democrats forced him to veto his own proposal providing scholarships to kids trapped in failing schools,” Telford said. “Ever since, Shapiro has sought to blame the legislature for his lack of accomplishment, while many observers have questioned if his talents match his ambition.”

Shapiro has asked Pennsylvania Democrats to support Harris and Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman and state senator Sharif Street announced Monday that the Pennsylvania Delegation to the Democratic National Convention voted by acclamation to endorse Harris unanimously and officially for president.

“President Joe Biden has a history of putting America first over a career spanning more than half a century,” said Street in a statement. “President Biden created over 15 million jobs, brought the economy back with historic investments in infrastructure, and developed consequential legislation to help Pennsylvanians and residents of every other state in our nation.”

Street added that there is “a tremendous amount of excitement in seeing Vice President Kamala Harris become the nominee of the Democratic Party.” He noted that nearly $67 million was raised through ActBlue Sunday, breaking the single-day record. Harris raised $81 million in her first 24 hours as a candidate, the largest 24-hour raise by any candidate ever.

The PA Democratic Party said its endorsement “underscores the party’s confidence in Harris’s vision, leadership, and ability to win in November.”

Along with Pennsylvania, delegations from 39 states have endorsed Harris, giving her enough support to win the nomination on the first full day of the DNC next month in Chicago.