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A new book, "How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America," reveals that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro's Jewish faith was not the reason Vice President Kamala Harris did not select him as her running mate. Instead, the book suggests that Harris and Shapiro had "too much in common" and lacked the chemistry necessary for a successful presidential campaign. The book, authored by political reporters Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf, was released on Tuesday (July 8).
During a campaign rally in Wilkes-Barre last August, President Donald Trump claimed that Shapiro was not chosen because of his Jewish faith. However, the book contradicts this narrative, stating that Harris rejected Shapiro due to their similar backgrounds as former attorneys general and concerns about their chemistry. According to PennLive, Shapiro's comments on pro-Palestinian protests were flagged as "incendiary" but did not influence Harris' decision. Instead, she chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate.
Shapiro was one of six finalists interviewed by the Harris campaign, including Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who is also Jewish. Despite Shapiro's popularity as a moderate governor from a key battleground state, Harris and her team were concerned about their similar career paths and Shapiro's ambition. The book notes that Shapiro's private meeting with Harris did not go well, as he came across as overly ambitious and not entirely comfortable with the idea of being a vice president.