The mayor of Philadelphia might have just accidentally leaked the identity of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in a campaign ad. The ad posted by Mayor Cherelle Parker appears to suggest that the new Democratic Party nominee’s vice presidential pick will be Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. A visit to Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign page contains photos from the video Parker shared, which seems to confirm it to be true.
Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP! We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United! @PADems @PhillyDems @Joanna4PA @PADemsChair @IBEW98 @RepHarris @PALaborers pic.twitter.com/Rh1ojbRjcr
— Cherelle Parker (@PeopleforParker) August 2, 2024
An article from the Inquirer said, “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 said the ad didn’t make it clear if Parker was directly stating that Shapiro was indeed Harris’ pick or if it was reiterating how high his chances were. The outlet tried to get a comment from Parker’s office, but as of this writing, they have been unsuccessful. The Inquirer suggests the video was not meant as an official announcement. However, Philly Mag editor Ernest Owens begs to differ.
SCOOP: Philly political sources have told me that a staffer connected with Mayor Cherelle Parker’s team accidentally posted the video today.
The video was scheduled for Monday…after VP Kamala Harris was expected to announce her pick.
It’s Josh Shapiro, y’all.
— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 2, 2024
(VOTE: Are You Supporting TRUMP Or KAMALA In November?)
A source close to Parker who asked to have their identity kept secret did speak with 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,” the source said. However, as stated earlier, the website for Harris in the state contains photographs taken from the video.
”I can’t think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro,” Parker says in the ad. While Parker and many others on the left would be pleased to see Shapiro get put on the ticket, conservatives on social media have raised legitimate concerns about the potential vice presidential candidate. “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,” conservative Greg Price wrote on X.
“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…” he added in a follow-up post. “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,” another user said.
(FREE RED HAT: “Impeached. Arrested. Convicted. Shot. Still Standing”)