Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer fended off accusations that Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was passed over for the vice presidential nod due to his religion, decrying those claims as “cruel and disgusting.”
Shapiro, 51, was a finalist for Vice President Kamala Harris’ No. 2 but drew backlash from radical factions of the far left over his stance supporting Israel. Critics such as GOP vice presidential nominee JD Vance have alleged Shapiro got snubbed because of his Jewish heritage.
“It is cruel and disgusting that anyone would attribute anything to Vice President Harris’ determination. She made a great decision,” Whitmer told CNN Wednesday when asked about those accusations. “The good news is she had a wealth of wonderful people from whom to choose.”
Harris, 59, reportedly felt that she had a better personal rapport with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and her team had heard from Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-Pa.) advisers concerns about Shapiro’s political ambitions, according to multiple reports.
Multiple Jewish Democratic lawmakers hit back at some of the progressive backlash Shapiro had endured, largely from critics who harped on his record backing Israel.
“Josh Shapiro is an incredible leader, and he is smart and he is dedicated. And he has devoted his life to making sure that other people’s lives in America are better, regardless of what their faith is,” Whitmer said of those attacks.
Whitmer, 52, who is a co-chair on the Harris campaign and has long been subject to presidential buzz herself, quickly ruled herself out of the veepstakes after President Biden dropped out of the race.
She lavished praise upon Walz, 60, lauding him as “one of my all-time favorite governors” and argued that the best advice for the North Star State Democrat is that he “just needs to be Tim.”
“He gets it. How hard people work, how people want a fair shake, and that our job is to make sure that everyone can have a path to prosperity,” she added.
Earlier in the day, Vance stopped in Shelby Township, Mich., continuing a recent pattern of appearing in similar states as the Harris campaign on the same day.
“I do not want to live in a country where we’re choosing who the next VP is based on skin color or ethnic heritage. Choose based on merit, and the fact that so many prominent leaders [on] the far left felt empowered to talk about Shapiro’s ethnic heritage is a disgrace. And I think it’s a scandal, for the Democrat Party,” Vance said during his stop.
Other top Republicans such as former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson have levied similar accusations against Harris, whose husband is Jewish.
Michigan had been one of the most prominent states for backlash against Biden over his support for Israel during its war with Hamas. Over 100,000 voters marked themselves as uncommitted during the primary.
Harris and Waltz are set to hold a rally in Detroit later in the day on Wednesday.
