Philadelphia Mayor Sherrell Parker caused an uproar Friday afternoon when she appeared to reveal the identity of Vice President Kamala Harris’ new running mate in a campaign ad-style video introducing Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as Harris’ number two, the Democratic nominee.
“Kamala Harris for President and Josh Shapiro for Vice President,” the mayor declared in the video. “Now we need you. Let us and Kamala Harris know you stand with her!”
The video quickly went viral, with viewers questioning whether Parker had inadvertently revealed that running mate Shapiro had beaten other candidates, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
Sources close to Parker were quick to tell the Philadelphia Inquirer that Parker was simply expressing his support for Shapiro, whom he considers a “friend.”
“This is not an announcement of anything. This is simply the mayor’s endorsement of a long-time friend, who we know is one of the candidates,” a source close to Parker said. He told a local newspaper.
A domestic source close to the Harris campaign told The Post that it was highly unlikely the mayor leaked classified information.
A source close to the Harris campaign told The Post that the video was “bizarre” but that they thought Parker was just “trying to make a ‘fetch’ happen.”
Another source close to the campaign said it was understood Harris, 59, had not yet chosen a running mate and that if she had, very few Democrats knew her name.
A third source close to Harris’ other running mate told The Washington Post that, as far as they know, the selection is “still up in the air.”
Contextual clues suggest those denials are true, including the fact that Parker posted a video of himself wearing the same outfit on July 26, suggesting the footage showing Shaprio as a running mate could be more than a week old.
The vice president is reportedly still meeting with potential running mates, further strengthening the belief that Parker has no idea who his running mate will be.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, for example, met with Harris for about 90 minutes on Friday to discuss the role. according to Reuters.
A decision on Harris’ running mate is expected to be made over the weekend or early next week, and the two yet-to-be-named running mates are expected to rally around battleground states with Harris in the coming days ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which runs from Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.
The matchup must be officially decided by Aug. 7 to meet Ohio’s deadline for voting. She is scheduled to speak with her running mate at a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.
Harris secured enough votes in the virtual ballot on Friday to solidify her status as the Democratic presidential nominee after Biden, 81, abruptly ended his campaign for a second term on July 21 following an internal party rebellion over his declining cognitive abilities.
Preliminary polls indicate that Mr. Shaprio, 51, may support Ms. Harris’ campaign against former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania, even though his political liabilities include past pro-Israel comments that could reignite Democratic infighting over Israel’s war with Hamas.
Parker’s office did not immediately respond to The Washington Post’s request for comment.
