Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has deflected accusations that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro lost out on the vice presidential nomination for religious reasons, calling the allegations “cruel and repulsive.”
Mr. Shapiro, 51, was a finalist to succeed Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate but drew backlash from far-left extremists for his support of Israel, with critics, including Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, arguing that Mr. Shapiro was overlooked because he is Jewish.
“It’s cruel and disgusting that anyone would attribute anything to VP Harris’s decision-making. She made a great decision.” Whitmer told CNN on Wednesday. When asked about these accusations, she responded: “Luckily, she had a lot of great people to choose from.”
According to multiple reports, Ms. Harris, 59, felt she had a better personal relationship with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and her team had heard concerns about Mr. Shapiro’s political ambitions from advisers to Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania).
Several Jewish Democrats pushed back against the backlash Shapiro has faced from progressives, particularly those who have relentlessly criticized his pro-Israel record.
“Josh Shapiro is an incredible leader, a brilliant and dedicated man who has dedicated his life to making life better for people in America, regardless of their faith,” Gov. Whitmer said of the attacks.
Whitmer, 52, who is co-chair of Harris’ campaign and has long been a prominent figure in presidential election discussions herself, quickly declined to be Biden’s running mate after he dropped out of the race.
She praised the 60-year-old governor as “one of my favorite governors ever” and insisted her best advice for the North Star State Democrat is to “just be Tim.”
“He understands how hard people work, how people want to be treated fairly, and that our job is to put everyone on the path to prosperity,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Vance stopped in Shelby Township, Michigan, continuing his recent trend of visiting similar states on the same day as the Harris campaign.
“I don’t want to live in a country where we choose our next vice president based on skin color or ethnic background. We choose based on merit, and many prominent leaders have [on] “It’s shameful that the far left felt they had the authority to talk about Mr. Shapiro’s ethnic origins, and I think it’s a scandal for the Democratic Party,” Vance said during the stop.
Other Republican leaders, including former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, have made similar accusations against Harris, whose husband is Jewish.
Michigan was one of the states where the backlash against Biden for his support of Israel during the war with Hamas was most pronounced, with more than 100,000 voters declaring themselves independent during the primary.
Harris and Walz are scheduled to hold a rally in Detroit later Wednesday afternoon.
