PHILADELPHIA — Gov. Josh Shapiro didn’t make the Democratic ticket for the presidential election this fall but he made a point Tuesday of holding up the duo seeking to win The White House.
At a campaign rally for Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, just hours after the Harris-Walz ticket was set, Shapiro championed their credentials while taking shots at the Republican nominees, former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
But not before taking a moment to remind those in the crowded Liacouras Center at Temple University of his own appreciation of the Democrats’ supporters.
“I love you, Philly,” Shapiro shouted. “And you know what else? I love being your governor.”
The crowd response was welcoming and rowdy, particularly when Shapiro repeated a mantra that’s become his calling card — “GSD.”
“I focus on getting s— done for all of you,” Shapiro said moments before turning his attention to the Democratic nominees. “And, I’m going to be working my tail off to make sure we make Kamala Harris and Tim Walz the next leaders of the United States of America.”
Earlier Tuesday, Shapiro released a public statement acknowledging he was on the shortlist of potential vice presidential candidates, saying he’d spoken with Harris Sunday. He called her decision “deeply personal” and expressed respect for her choice.
Later Tuesday, he didn’t linger on it. Instead, he’d shifted to stumping for the Harris-Walz candidacy.
Shapiro spoke of Trump, framing the former president’s term as one marked by chaos, job loss and less freedom. He said Trump is responsible for “ripping away” the freedom of women to make decisions over their own body, a reference to the U.S. Supreme Court — one “packed” by Trump with conservatives — overturning reproductive freedoms once protected by Roe v. Wade.
Shapiro framed Trump as clueless to the job during his term but that he’s savvier now in potentially using the Supreme Court and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 plan to isolate the U.S. and limit citizens’ freedoms.
“Let me tell you something, I ain’t going back,” Shapiro said. “Not only are we not going back, we’re not going into the future with Donald Trump.”
As for Vance, Shapiro said “he doesn’t know who he is,” and that it prevents him from being honest with himself and with the public.
With that, the crowd chanted, “He’s a weirdo.” Walz labeled Vance and Trump as “weird” in a recent interview and it’s caught on among Democrats.
Shapiro called Walz a great man, an outstanding governor, a teacher, a guardsman, a great patriot.
“You know what Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are for? They are for real freedom,” Shapiro said.
He called that freedom a type that’s coupled with investments in public education and public safety, allowing children to go to school and return home safely; the kind where a young girl can pursue her dreams without interference.
“Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in a real freedom where you can marry who you love and be who you are,” Shapiro said.
“Now, freedom is on the ballot and our fundamental freedoms are at risk. I know when it’s at risk, it’s easy to feel uneasy and it’s easy to get down,” Shapiro said. “Let me tell you something, Philly. Let me tell you something Pennsylvania, and let me tell you something, America, I am more optimistic than ever before.”