In a potential slip-up, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker may have inadvertently revealed Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate in a recent campaign ad. The ad, posted on Parker’s personal campaign Instagram, suggests Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as Harris’s vice presidential pick. A visit to Harris’s Pennsylvania campaign page features photos from Parker’s video, seemingly confirming the speculation.
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported, “Parker on Friday released a video on her campaign’s Instagram account—her official mayoral Instagram is a different handle—that encourages voters to support ‘Kamala Harris for president’ and ‘Josh Shapiro for vice president.'” The report added that it’s unclear whether Parker intended to announce Shapiro as the pick or simply highlight his strong chances. Efforts to get a comment from Parker’s office were unsuccessful. While the Inquirer suggests the video wasn’t meant as an official announcement, Philly Mag editor Ernest Owens believes otherwise.
A source close to Parker, who wished to remain anonymous, told the publication, “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.” Despite this claim, the state campaign site for Harris features images from Parker’s video.
“I can’t think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro,” Parker states in the ad. While many on the left would be pleased with Shapiro joining the ticket, conservatives on social media have voiced strong objections to his potential candidacy.
LEAK: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker accidentally published this video ahead of schedule. She leaked Kamala Harris’ pick for Vice President as Josh Shapiro. pic.twitter.com/zRggINoFHB
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 2, 2024
Conservative commentator Greg Price highlighted Shapiro’s controversial legal actions, tweeting, “Did you know that Pennsylvania’s Governor and potential VP pick @JoshShapiroPA, when he was Attorney General, sued Catholic nuns to try and force them to give contraceptives to their employees and then lost a 7-2 decision at the Supreme Court? A guy who felt the need to sue sweet old nuns should be nowhere near the White House.”
Price continued, “Josh Shapiro puts on a moderate facade and is a very smooth political operator. But the guy is a radical just like Kamala Harris. He sued to keep children masked and schools closed. He caved to Pennsylvania teachers’ unions by blocking bipartisan school choice. I can go on…” Another user echoed these sentiments, saying, “Notice how they only care about Philly & the surrounding suburbs. They don’t give a crap about the other 80%+ of the state. They never have. Neither does Josh Shapiro. And IBEW supports him? Their leader just went to jail for a slew of charges, including stealing from the members.”
As the Harris campaign navigates this potential premature reveal and the ensuing political fallout, all eyes will be on how they officially announce and manage the choice of a running mate, especially with the varied reactions it has already sparked.
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