Josh Shapiro ready to campaign for Kamala Harris amid speculation about her running mate
HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — Kamala Harris' campaign is expected to announce its pick for vice president by the first full week of August, and KDKA-TV is continuing to follow Governor Josh Shapiro across Pennsylvania, as he's considered to be on her shortlist.
On Friday afternoon, Shapiro made a stop in Hollidaysburg, Blair County, as he geared up for his first official events on the campaign trail, stumping for Harris, the expected Democratic nominee for president.
Shapiro has been getting questioned this week by Pennsylvania and the country about whether he's going to join the Democratic ticket with Harris.
"The vice president called me just a few moments after that, I quickly offered her my endorsement. We spoke only about that and we have not spoken since," Shapiro said on Friday.
Shapiro was referring to his call on Sunday after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and gave Harris his endorsement.
He would not confirm if the Harris campaign is vetting him as a running mate, but he's already started fighting for Harris. On Saturday, he will headline his first official event for "Harris for President'" in the central part of the state.
"I'm going to stand up and speak very forcefully in support of Vice President Harris," Shapiro said on Friday.
It will mark 100 days until the general election in what the campaign is calling its first weekend of action, coming on the heels of hundreds of endorsements in Pennsylvania, including a unanimous endorsement from the state's 159 delegates to the Democratic National Convention. The campaign also said so far, more than 8,000 people have signed up online to join Harris in the state since last Sunday.
On Monday, the campaign confirmed to KDKA-TV that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will join Shapiro for another event in Pennsylvania.
According to Harris' team, at both, they'll be rallying supporters behind Harris and slam what they're calling Trump's Project 2025 agenda, which they said "would threaten Americans' rights and freedoms, hurt the middle class, and raise costs for families."
KDKA-TV's Lauren Linder asked Shapiro on Friday if he could share more about the events, but he couldn't expand on any details.
"It's no secret where I stand on this, and I'm going to do everything in my power to prosecute the case as to why Kamala Harris is a better candidate, why we don't want to go back to the chaos of Donald Trump," Shapiro said.
Shapiro is already receiving endorsements himself. KDKA-TV obtained a letter from 50 union leaders in Pennsylvania in support of Harris selecting him as her running mate.