Sen. John Fetterman’s advisers have reportedly badmouthed his home state governor Josh Shapiro to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign amid the veepstakes buzz.
Fetterman’s beef with Shapiro dates back to a lengthy rivalry the duo has had over the years and his concerns that the governor focuses too much on his own ambitions, according to Politico.
Specifically, the two feuded during their time together on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons where Fetterman was often more inclined toward leniency.
The two clashed hard over how to handle the conviction of Lee and Dennis Horton, two brothers who were convicted in a 1993 robbery and shooting, per the report.
Fetterman was serving as lieutenant governor at the time, while Shapiro was the state’s attorney general in 2019 when the Horton brothers’ clemency case came before them.
Both brothers maintained their innocence, and the vote initially failed 2-3 in 2019, with Fetterman and Shapiro at odds. Shapiro had conveyed reservations about missing court documentation.
“The trajectory of my career in public service will be determined by their freedom or lack thereof,” Fetterman later told the Philadelphia Inquirer, hinting that he might challenge Shapiro if the then-attorney general ran for governor.
Shapiro later backed clemency for the brothers in December 2020 when the issue came up again.
But the ordeal left a bad taste in Fetterman’s mouth and his allies have given the Harris campaign his “unvarnished assessment” of Shapiro “that is not about policy differences or other public baggage,” Politico reported.
Other prominent Pennsylvania figures in the Democratic Party such as Sen. Bob Casey (D-Penn.) have sung Shapiro’s praises in public. Fetterman has been notably quiet.
The Post contacted Fetterman’s office and Shapiro’s team for comment.
“The governor evaluates every pardons case individually and on its merits and during his time as attorney general, he approved more pardons and commutations than all of his predecessors over the last 25 years, combined,” Shapiro spokesperson Will Simons told the outlet.
“He is proud of his record of delivering meaningful criminal justice reform while making Pennsylvania communities safer.”
Harris’ campaign has refrained from commenting on rumors as she and her team work to vet veep contenders.
At the moment Shapiro, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) are rumored to be among the top three choices she is contemplating.
Harris planned to meet with at least those three finalists Sunday at the Naval Observatory, the residency of the vice president, the Washington Post reported.
The vice president is expected to stump with her runningmate in Philadelphia on Tuesday. She had also officially locked down the delegates needed to secure her party’s nomination last Friday.
Shapiro, like some of the other VP contenders, had canceled events he had scheduled over the weekend amid Harris’ forthcoming high-stakes decision.
Some progressives have grumbled about Shapiro given his support for Israel in the Hamas war, which some strategists believe could potentially harm the ticket in Michigan particularly.
That’s prompted backlash from top Jewish Democrats who believe Shapiro is getting singled out because of his faith.
“These Progressives don’t want a Jew. Let’s say it out loud. Imagine if moderate Dems said they didn’t want a certain minority,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) wrote on X last week.
“The condemnations would be deafening. Yet now we hear much silence,” Moskowitz added.
Pennsylvania is widely regarded as one of the top seven battleground states and sports a critical 19 Electoral College votes.
