What Josh Shapiro Told Us About Running for President One Day
Plus, yet another bar that doesn't serve alcohol.
Josh Shapiro and Kamala Harris in Philadelphia at the Reading Terminal Market on July 13th, before Harris was running for president and considering Shapiro as her running mate for vice president (Getty Images)
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Here’s What Josh Shapiro Told Us About Running for President, Months Before Kamala Harris Was Considering Him for Vice-President
Any day now, Kamala Harris is going to announce her pick to run for vice president with her. And then the two of them are going to go on a nationwide tour, with a big Philadelphia rally kicking things off on Tuesday. You’ve no doubt heard that Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is among the leading contenders for the job. But rumors around Shapiro’s White House future have been swirling long before everything came crashing down on Joe Biden after that disastrous debate.
After Shapiro took the oath for governor in January 2023, the Inquirer ran an analysis piece entitled, “Josh Shapiro Took Harrisburg: Is D.C. Next?” And even during his gubernatorial run, the subject of Shapiro one day in the White House was something discussed among politicos and those familiar with Shapiro and his ambitions.
In the February 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine, just after Shapiro’s first full year in office, I did an interview feature with him (you can read the full interview here) in which we discussed everything from The Miracle of I-95 to Wawa to his stance on Israel and Gaza. I also asked Shapiro about all this Shapiro-for-President talk. We called the piece “Shapiro for President?”
The opening page of our interview with Josh Shapiro, months before he became a possible Kamala Harris pick for vice-president
Here’s the full exchange:
Shortly after the reopening [of I-95], a certain Philly politico told me of you, “You’re looking at the first Jewish president of the United States.” And certainly since then, there has been more talk of that possibility. But considering the state of national politics today and what comes along with that gig, would you even entertain the idea?
I can tell you that I believe in public service, and I want to do everything I can to make people’s lives better and to get shit done for them. I also want to protect our democracy and freedom, so I am supporting President Biden in every way I can. We must defeat Donald Trump. He is a dangerous extremist who is determined to rip away our freedom. He is hell-bent on destroying our democracy.
Who knew that just months later, we’d be talking about Shapiro possibly being one step away from the presidency? But what I really want to know is, will his “get shit done” rhetoric follow him on the White House campaign trail, should he be the pick? I think it should!
In University of the Arts News…
We just learned that the shuttered school’s dance program has been absorbed by another school… in Vermont.
Video of the Day
Graffiti Pier collapsing into the river. Fortunately, no one was injured.
Own a Cat?
You’re in good company. Philadelphia is one of the most popular cities in America for cat ownership. I just keep telling my kids I’m allergic whenever they ask to get one.
By the Numbers
0: Number of alcoholic drinks on the menu at Fishtown’s soon-to-open Bar Palmina. The owner had a liver transplant and decided to change her life. Should you want an actual, ya know, drink-drink, don’t worry: It’s Fishtown! A bar on every corner, as they say.
7,000: Hours of Olympics coverage that Comcast says is available on Peacock. No word on how many hours people actually care about. Though I have to admit that I went down a rabbit hole with the women’s air pistol competition the other day. And sometimes I just put surfing on in the background to relax.
103: What the Philly heat index is expected to go up to this week. If you didn’t already start packing a bag for the Shore upon finishing that sentence, you’re doing it wrong.
Local Talent
If you think most of the Olympics commentators are too boring, you might want to check out what Philly’s own Kevin Hart is up to. Fortunately, it’s much more entertaining than his hosting of that Tom Brady roast trainwreck on Netflix. Oh, and speaking of Kevin Hart, you probably never thought you’d see him sharing screen time with Cate Blanchett, but that’s exactly what’s happening in his latest movie, Borderlands, which comes out next week.
