Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, left, speak to the press while making a stop at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (Ryan Collerd / AFP via Getty Images)

(JTA) — Kamala Harris will select her running mate ahead of a rally in Philadelphia on Tuesday, her campaign has announced, leading to speculation that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will be the pick.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, is on Harris’ shortlist for the spot, and he has already met with the presumptive nominee’s vetting team. Other contenders include Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and a few other names.

Shapiro, who is a graduate of the Philadelphia-area Jewish day school where he sends his children, has emphasized his Jewish observance in his public life. He would be the second Jewish vice presidential nominee on a major party ticket, following Sen. Joe Lieberman, then also a Democrat, in 2000.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Harris said on Tuesday that she hadn’t finalized her decision, and a Harris campaign aide warned against inferring too much from the rally’s location. Many previous vice presidential announcements have been made outside of the nominee’s home state, such as in 2020 when Joe Biden announced Harris, then a senator from California, as his running mate at a rally in his home state of Delaware.

But other signs indicate that Shapiro may be the pick. He has canceled a weekend trip to the Hamptons for two fundraising events just days before the rally — though a spokesman did not explicitly connect that decision to the veepstakes. 

“The Governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee,” Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder told NBC News. “His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”

Discussion of a Shapiro nomination has grown contentious among Democrats and campaign watchers. CNN analyst Harry Enten said he’s “clearly the best” choice in terms of the electoral advantage he brings as the ticket, as the popular governor of a large swing state. 

But pro-Palestinian activists have pushed back on Shapiro due to his outspoken support for Israel and criticism of antisemitism at campus protests, dubbing him “Genocide Josh.” His defenders, in turn, have noted that all of the serious vice presidential contenders have pro-Israel records. Some commentators have suggested that the focus on Shapiro smacks of antisemitism. 

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount