Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is the betting favorite to be No. 2 on the Democratic ticket, but his handling of a sexual harassment case may hurt his chances. The issue has come to a head, with a little-known women’s rights organization urging Vice President Kamala Harris to think twice.
In a statement headlined “Gov. Shapiro’s Failures Enabled Sexual Harassment,” the National Women’s Defense League said that the Harris vetting team should “consider the handling of past complaints of sexual harassment inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s office.” The group claims to be a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preventing sexual harassment.
Shapiro, 51, is the chief executive of a crucial battleground state rich in electoral votes, where Harris is set to campaign with her yet-to-be-named running mate on Tuesday. Speculation had mounted that based on the location of Tuesday’s rally, in Philadelphia, that it may just be Shapiro.
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Shapiro has come under fire for his administration’s move last year to pay nearly $300,000 to settle a sexual harassment claim against one of his longtime aides. The deal involved a non-disclosure agreement.
“Governor Shapiro’s office should have done a better job preventing sexual harassment happening in his own office by former cabinet secretary Mike Vereb, including protecting the survivor who bravely came forward, ensuring that any other potential survivors felt safe in speaking up, and ensuring the harasser didn’t have the opportunity to do further harm after the complaint,” Emma Davidson Tribbs, director of the National Women’s Defense League said. “We deserve leaders who will not brush sexual harassment under the rug, but will put accountability above politics. We need leaders who prioritize effective policies, protocols and a culture that prevents sexual harassment and protects survivors.” She later told the Daily Beast that if Shapiro “really wants this to be full and transparent,” that he should allow the woman the option to tell her story.
Shapiro addressed the matter publicly on Thursday after giving a statement first on Wednesday to the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. The governor's office highlighted his “long track record of protecting survivors and prosecuting predators” when he was attorney general, including exposing "child sexual abuse and cover-ups within the Catholic Church.”
“Governor Shapiro and his Administration take every allegation of discrimination and harassment extremely seriously and have robust procedures in place to thoroughly investigate all reports," his spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in the statement provided to the Daily Beast.
“Those procedures are implemented in every instance where complaints of discrimination or harassment are made and all allegations are promptly and fully investigated to ensure employees feel comfortable to report misconduct. In order to protect the privacy of every current and former Commonwealth employee involved, the Administration does not comment further on specific personnel matters.”
A fellow Democrat running for state treasurer in Pennsylvania also suggested Shapiro was involved in a coverup of the matter, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, when she tweeted last week that she wanted a vice presidential pick who “doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug.”
Shapiro has faced other ethics questions, too. He’s been seen sitting courtside with a donor at a 76ers game and caught flack for accepting pricey tickets to numerous other sporting events, potentially violating his state’s gift ban.
And progressives sympathetic to Palestinian causes don’t want him on the ticket either as Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza rages on. Shapiro is a vocal supporter of Israel’s right to defend itself, while critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has criticized anti-Israel protests, pushing to forcibly end the encampment at the University of Pennsylvania.
His positions have raised free-speech concerns and have now led pro-Palestinian activists to try to sink his chances of joining the ticket, The New York Times reported Thursday.
As of Thursday, the Harris team was still actively vetting potential candidates. “They’re watching the J.D. Vance experiment go horribly wrong and they want to be sure they’re doing their due diligence,” a longtime Democratic operative told the Daily Beast.
In addition to Shapiro, Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, the Harris team is also reportedly taking a close look at Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Beyond the sexual harassment scandal, Shapiro lacks foreign policy and military bonafides.
Unlike rival contenders Walz and Kelly, Shapiro didn’t serve in the military, and he lacks national political leadership experience. (Walz is a two-term governor and a veteran who served for 10 years in the U.S. House; Kelly sits on the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, served in the Navy, and commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavor.)
Editor’s note. This story and headline have been updated with expanded context and comment from both Gov. Shapiro’s office and the National Women’s Defense League.
