Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker posted on her social media accounts during the weekend, appearing to suggest that Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party have already picked Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate, prompting confusion all across America.
"Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroP for VP!" her handle @PeopleforParker posted on X. The post also included a video with footage of recent press conferences that ended with the message: "Josh Shapiro for Vice President."
However, a source close to Parker who spoke anonymously claimed that the post was simply an endorsement and a show of support for Shapiro.
"This is not an announcement of anything. This is just the mayor showing her support for a longtime friend who we know is one of the people being considered," the source said.
The attached footage in the tweet included local union leaders and elected officials lauding the governor.
"I can’t think of a better partner [for Harris] than our governor, Josh Shapiro," Parker said in the video.
According to Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia, who also appeared in the video, she was surprised to see the video posted on Friday. She thought it was fun and agreed with the message promoting Shapiro as vice president. Ellis-Marseglia was involved in a separate pro-Harris ad arranged by the Parker campaign and said the group taped pro-Shapiro content afterward, but she didn't realize it would be used.
"We did it as an after-take as kind of a joke," she said.
Meanwhile, journalist Ernest Owens claimed he had heard from sources that the post was due to be scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5, but was accidentally published early. Harris is expected to announce her pick for vice presidential running mate by Tuesday, Aug. 6, after conducting weekend interviews with contenders at her Washington home, two sources with knowledge of the matter said. (Related: Kamala Harris expected to introduce running mate at her first rally in Philadelphia on Aug. 6.)
The shortlist of potential candidates included six men: four governors, a senator and a cabinet secretary in the White House. Shapiro is considered one of the favorites and has been reportedly vetted by her campaign. He reportedly canceled planned fundraisers in the Hamptons this weekend.
"The governor's trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fundraisers for his own campaign committee," spokesperson Manuel Bonder said. "His schedule has changed and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend."
Shapiro is too focused on his ambitions, PA senator warns Harris
An article on Politico recently disclosed that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is warning Harris against picking Shapiro to be her running mate because the latter is too focused on his "personal ambitions." Fetterman cited three sources that were familiar with the matter, the news outlet reported.
According to the report, Fetterman and Shapiro came into conflict during their service together on Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons regarding second chances and the commutation process for convicts.
Fetterman is said to have "full-on, enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris." That source described Fetterman's advisers as giving his "unvarnished assessment" of Shapiro "that is not about policy differences or other public baggage." The governor’s staff, meanwhile, claimed that Shapiro's history on criminal justice reform is clear.
"The governor evaluates every pardon case individually and on its merits and during his time as attorney general, he approved more pardons and commutations than all of his predecessors over the last 25 years, combined," Shapiro spokesperson Will Simons said. "He is proud of his record of delivering meaningful criminal justice reform while making Pennsylvania communities safer."
Another issue that is being thrown at Shapiro is his past stance on Israel and Palestine. In the 1993 essay that he wrote for the Campus Times, the student newspaper of the University of Rochester, from which he graduated in 1995, he wrote that "Palestinians will not coexist peacefully because they do not have the capabilities to establish their homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States."
Shapiro has been pressured to defend his article.
"Since he wrote this piece as a 20-year-old student, Gov. Shapiro has built close, meaningful, informative relationships with many Muslim-American, Arab-American, Palestinian Christian and Jewish community leaders all across Pennsylvania," another Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder told Fox News Digital.
"The Governor greatly values their perspectives and the experiences he has learned from over the years – and as a result, as with many issues, his views on the Middle East have evolved into the position he holds today."
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Watch the video below that talks about Harris's "leaked running mate" Josh Shapiro having "zero name recognition."
This video is from the NewsClips channel on Brighteon.com.
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