Critics including Fetterman, UAW put Shapiro on hot seat amid VP speculation

As Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro generates national buzz as a top contender to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, naysayers have been increasingly vocal in their opposition.

In recent days, the first-term Democratic governor has been hailed by some as a promising vice-presidential choice who may be able to help Harris win his key swing state — but criticisms of his stance on private school vouchers, his handling of a sexual harassment case against a top aide, and his political ambitions seem to be growing as Harris prepares to unveil her running mate.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, D-Braddock, and his advisers have relayed their worries directly to the Harris team, according to Politico. Fetterman told the vice president that Shapiro is too focused on his own ambitions, Politico reported, and criticized his behavior on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons, where he wasn’t as lenient as Fetterman.

Shapiro is facing heightened scrutiny for his controversial support of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers, a concept traditionally favored by conservatives.

His stance on vouchers has been particularly unpopular among labor unions. United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Face the Nation pointed to Shapiro’s support of school vouchers as one of the “bigger issues” the union has with him.

Since being thrust into the national limelight, Shapiro’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint against an aide also seems to be gaining broader attention.

The governor’s office last year quietly entered a settlement to resolve sexual harassment allegations against Mike Vereb, a trusted senior aide who later resigned.

The escalating critiques of Shapiro come as the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last month agreed to review a 2011 suicide ruling in the case of a woman who suffered 20 stab wounds but whose death was not investigated as a homicide.

PennLive reported that the family of Ellen Greenberg, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars investigating her death privately, accused Shapiro of “sitting on” the case as attorney general.

Though the chorus of concerns about Shapiro as a running mate seems to be growing louder, Alison Dagnes, a political science professor at Shippensburg University, said this is par for the course.

“That, to me, was the most expected part of this entire process,” she said.

Naysayers always take stabs at candidates who are put on a pedestal while being considered for bigger and better positions, Dagnes said.

And that can actually be helpful.

“What it does is it gives the campaign a preview of the (opposition) research that’s being done,” she said. “It allows the Harris campaign to say, ‘Okay, these are the negatives that are going to be thrown out about him. How do we feel about this? How do we deal with this?’”

Dagnes said the Harris campaign might not be seeing all of the criticisms as liabilities at all.

Shapiro’s more conservative take on school vouchers, she said, may actually appeal to moderate voters. The Harris campaign is likely hoping to use Shapiro’s more moderate stances on issues like private school to appeal to voters who feel Harris’ politics are too far left, Dagnes said.

Berwood Yost, who oversees polling at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, said many of the criticisms leveled against Shapiro — like his support of private school vouchers and his handling of an aide’s sexual harassment — are old news.

They haven’t impacted the way voters in Pennsylvania have viewed the governor so far, Yost said, so there’s little reason to assume these issues would be seriously detrimental for Shapiro as a vice-presidential candidate.

“From a public opinion standpoint, these are not things that hurt the governor’s popularity,” Yost said.

Yost echoed Dagnes’ analysis that some of the things that upset left-leaning Democrats could actually be seen as perks for a presidential ticket hoping to win over moderate voters.

Dagnes said she wouldn’t be too worried about other criticisms leveled against Shapiro either. As for the sexual harassment incident, Dagnes said, having an underling harass someone isn’t nearly as scandalous as if the governor had committed such acts himself.

The steady stream of Shapiro criticism is likely being amplified for Pennsylvania voters, she said, as their local news coverage and curated social media feeds are pushing more content about their own governor. Voters in Minnesota, she said, are probably hearing more concerns about any controversies that have plagued Gov. Tim Walz, another potential Harris running mate.

Voters may feel like they’re being inundated with stories, criticisms and commendations about potential running mates all at once this year because of the accelerated vetting cycle, Yost said. Typically, concerns emerge over months as presidential candidates mull their options.

This year, the cycle was shortened after President Joe Biden pulled out of the race. All the information is coming at a rush right now, Yost said, possibly making some voters feel like they’re hearing more all at once.

But Yost said nothing he’s heard seems likely to have any major impact on Shapiro’s chances at a spot in the White House.

“He’s the most popular politician who appeals to moderate voters in the most important swing state in the country,” Yost said. “I don’t think anything we’re seeing or hearing has changed that yet.”

Airing a candidate’s dirty laundry, Dagnes said, is part of the “trial balloon” process.

“You float a name and you see who’s going to take a shot at it, you see what the shots are and you adjust if you need to,” she said.

But Dagnes doesn’t think any major adjustments are necessary despite the brickbats that have been lobbed at Shapiro.

“None of this strikes me as especially nasty,” she said.