Governor Josh Shapiro rejected the idea that his Jewish faith played a role in Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz over him as a running mate during a recent interview with the Washington Examiner.

“I can tell you that antisemitism had no impact on the dialogue between the vice president and me, period,” Shapiro said. “I’m not going to get into my private discussions with the vice president. What I will say is, I said for two weeks, she had a deeply personal decision to make about who she wanted to be a running mate. And in the end, I had a deeply personal decision to make as well.”  

“I’m really, really pleased that I can stay here in Pennsylvania and do my job as governor, and I think Tim Walz is a great choice and will fill the role that she wants filled really effectively,” the Abington Township resident said.

Shapiro went on to say that antisemitism remains a “real concern” and encouraged leaders “to speak and act with moral clarity and condemn hate in all of its forms.”

Critics have been weighing in with accusations since the announcement. Republican VP candidate JD Vance pointed to antisemitism as the basis of Harris’ decision during his visit to South Philly last week.

“Did Harris reject Shapiro just because progressives don’t like that he was Jewish?” tweeted Alan Dershowitz, renowned lawyer and law professor known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. 

Shapiro’s rabbi, David Glanzberg-Krainin of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park, pointed out that Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish.

“I absolutely can’t fathom a universe in which Vice President Harris, who’s married to a Jewish man, decided not to select Josh Shapiro as her running mate because Josh is Jewish,” Glanzberg-Krainin told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “There’s just no world in which I can conceive of that as being possible.”

The Jerusalem Post published an article titled “Did Harris opt against Josh Shapiro because he is Jewish? Campaign calls accusation ‘ridiculous’” late last week.

For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.

Photo: Kevin Mohatt/Reuters