CNN host Audie Cornish suggested that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro was not chosen as Kamala Harris’ running mate because it would be an “insult” to the “activist wing” of the Democratic Party, particularly those who have taken part in campus protests over the war between Israel and Hamas.
“Tim Walz also made conciliatory statements to those people. He said that those independent votes were important and they should be listened to. So I think responding like that probably opens the door for some people in the party who were very unhappy with the Democratic Party,” Cornish began, referring to the independent protest votes against President Biden in the Democratic primary.
Harris on Tuesday picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, as her running mate. Shapiro, who enjoys high approval ratings as governor of a key battleground state, was widely considered the leading candidate for the vice presidential nomination.
“He’s also the face of the crackdown on protests. He has vehemently called campus protests anti-Semitic, so I think that was an affront to some of the party’s activists,” Cornish said of Shapiro.
Democrats attack VP candidate Shapiro, accuse left-wing ‘deeply rooted anti-Semitism’
CNN’s Audie Cornish talks about Kamala Harris’ decision to choose Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate. (Screenshot/CNN)
“There are a lot of similarities between what Tim Walz and Josh Shapiro actually stand on, with the Israel-Hamas fight that you’re talking about and with Mr. Netanyahu, and I think it points to a faith-based agenda for the governor of Pennsylvania,” CNN host Casey Hunt said.
Hunt added that if the race comes down to Pennsylvania and former President Trump wins, Harris may have regrets.
“As for Shapiro, if this election comes down to Pennsylvania and Kamala Harris loses the election because she loses Pennsylvania, she will have no regrets about Tim Walz, but she will have to wait and see how he acts, but she will wish she had picked Josh Shapiro in this moment. I think that speaks to how Kamala Harris makes her decisions,” she said.
“The decision to select someone like this at a time like this shows a level of fortitude that I think a lot of people should have a lot of respect for, and I think some Democrats that I’ve spoken to today certainly think this is a missed opportunity,” Hunt continued.
For more articles on Media and Culture click here
Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Democratic vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz appear onstage together during a campaign event at Girard College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on August 6, 2024. (Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
CNN’s Abby Phillips began the debate by suggesting that the choice of Harris was a way to avoid a backlash from undecided voters in Minnesota’s primary.
“Would it help in Pennsylvania? Sure, but it’s not the only thing,” she said of the Pennsylvania governor. “And ultimately, Mr. Shapiro, I think fitness is important, but the principle of do no harm also raises the question, do you want to antagonize 100,000 disinterested voters in a state like Minnesota who spoke out about the Gaza war? All of that is part of the issue,” Phillips said.
Click here to get the FOX News app
During the debate, Jake Tapper noted that Shapiro is Jewish, but argued that he has been more critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu than Walz.
