Josh Shapiro's VP bid ignites debate over Israel and antisemitism
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's possible selection as Kamala Harris' running mate has spurred close scrutiny on the left of his record on issues related to Israel.
AMBLER, Pa. — In the weeks following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in Israel, Gov. Josh Shapiro’s message to young Americans protesting the Israeli counteroffensive in Gaza was straightforward: study up on the conflict.
“I don’t blame them for wanting to engage and speak out,” he told NBC News in a November interview, pointing to “disturbing” imagery coming out of Gaza. “I think that’s really healthy. I think it’s incumbent upon them to know some history and not just enter the conversation in recent weeks but go back and understand what happened in the past.”
Eight months later, this vocal segment of the Democratic electorate is closely scrutinizing Shapiro’s record on issues related to Israel, as the Pennsylvania governor emerges as a top contender to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. And it’s become the centerpiece of the left’s case against adding him to the ticket.
The intense scrutiny is the latest chapter in a long-running saga between factions of the Democratic Party who have backed President Joe Biden’s approach to the war in Gaza and those who have staunchly opposed it. It also has rekindled a parallel fight over the rise of antisemitism at home as Shapiro, an observant Jew, has faced deeper skepticism over Israel than other leading contenders who have espoused similar views.
That blending of Shapiro’s Jewish faith with his positions on Israel has bled into voters’ thinking about his potential ascension on the Democratic ticket. Asked about the role left-wing criticism on Israel could play with a Harris-Shapiro ticket, Rick Giordano, a Democratic voter at Shapiro’s Monday rally who supported him as Harris’ running mate, mused about whether the country would elect a Jewish vice president.
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