PHILADELPHIA — During a press event highlighting Vice President Kamala Harris as the new likely Democratic nominee for president, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street said he was “offended” by comments made by the Democratic candidate for state treasurer that appeared to be critical of Gov. Josh Shapiro.
On Tuesday evening, Erin McClelland, Democratic candidate for Treasurer, posted an endorsement on social media of North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, while taking a not-so-veiled jab at Shapiro in the process.
“I want a VP pick that’s secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won’t undermine the President to maneuver his own election & doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug. I want someone that can speak to rural voters. That is @RoyCooperNC,” McClelland wrote, the first in a series of posts critical of the state party and Shapiro.
Street defended Shapiro on Wednesday.
“Look, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Street said. “Certainly, I think, Vice President Harris, whoever she picks, we’re going to stand behind her, she’s going to do a great job.”
“But, I’ll tell you, I’m offended by that… by the post,” Street added. “I’m personally offended and I’ll have conversations with our nominee for Treasurer, separately.”
Shapiro’s office did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Street continued to promote Shapiro’s record leading a divided legislature, noting that both chambers of the Legislature are led by women: Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland), and House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D-Philadelphia).
Shapiro, Street added, has demonstrated an effective ability to work with women. “So, any suggestion to the contrary is deeply offensive.”
Street added that he thinks Shapiro would be a great vice president.
McClelland did not respond to a request for comment from the Capital-Star.
Shapiro’s former Legislative Secretary Mike Vereb resigned from his position last year amid sexual harassment allegations. The governor’s office paid $295,000 in public money to settle the complaint filed against Vereb.
A group of women Republican lawmakers announced plans last year to introduce legislation designed to make changes to sexual harassment rules in state government.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D-Philadelphia), who is running for Auditor General, also said that he thinks Shapiro would be “an incredible choice” for vice president, but said he thinks Harris knows what she’s doing and will make the right decision to select her running mate.
Despite the disagreement by McClelland, Democrats present at the Harris campaign office on Wednesday were solidly in support of the candidate at the top of the ticket.
“There’s no question about who our nominee is going to be,” Street said.
Wednesday’s press conference was the PA Dems’ first since President Joe Biden announced he was not seeking a second term in office and endorsed Harris. Pennsylvania’s Democratic delegation voted unanimously on Monday to endorse Harris and she has received commitments from enough delegates to secure the party’s nomination for president.
Kenyatta praised Harris’s background and said her experience as California’s Attorney General, U.S. Senator, and vice president has prepared her to lead the party in November.
“Vice President Harris wants to build on the work that the Biden-Harris administration has done to not just ensure that medical debt doesn’t count on your credit report, but to actually cancel medical debt,” Kenyatta said.
Street blasted Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican Party’s nominee for vice president, for comments he made during the RNC last week about guns lying around his “mamaw’s house” growing up.
“Well, in this community, children have found loaded guns and they die,” Street said, arguing it was no laughing matter.
Street also made the case against AR-15’s in his speech and criticized the Trump administration for the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Kellan White, senior adviser to the Harris campaign in Pennsylvania, said that although the signs in the office had changed, the campaign is ready to make the case for Harris in the election.
Despite polling that showed Biden trailing Trump in Pennsylvania prior to his exit from the race, White said that he believes Biden will be an asset for the Harris campaign on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, pointing to the reception he received at campaign events in recent weeks in the Keystone State and beyond.
Speakers also said there has been an increase in enthusiasm since Harris was named the nominee, while they blasted Project 2025 and mentioned it as a warning for what could happen in a second Trump administration. Trump recently distanced himself from the plan at a rally, although it was authored by former officials of his administration.
Republicans have largely been unified in opposition to Harris becoming the Democratic Party’s nominee for president. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Dave McCormick, who is attempting to unseat Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, has already released an ad linking Casey to Harris.
Larry’s Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a national ratings outlet, rates the race for president in Pennsylvania as a “toss-up.”
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