photo by: Creators Syndicate

Keith Raffel

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz seems bright, articulate, genuine and a solid selection as Kamala Harris’ running mate. But he’s not the best one.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro would have made a better choice for two important reasons. First and foremost, he would have given her a better chance to win in November. Secondly, if Harris had tapped Shapiro, she would have won approval for standing up to left-wing antisemitism in her party.

Of course, job No. 1 for Harris is winning the White House.

In earlier days, her opponent, former President Donald Trump, would have disqualified himself for the presidency on numerous grounds. He’s been judged a rapist by a civil jury and a felon by a criminal jury. He’s vowed to pardon insurrectionists currently in jail for attacking police officers at the Capitol’s Jan. 6 insurrection. He’s threatened to give Russian President Vladimir Putin a free hand in Europe. He’s advocating pushing for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which helps provide medical insurance to 45 million Americans. He’s appointed three judges to the Supreme Court who voted to overturn half a century of voting protection for minorities and of bodily autonomy for women.

Critical to a Harris victory in November 2024 is carrying Pennsylvania. The Keystone State won that nickname due to its position in the middle of the original 13 colonies. The tag is apt now for a second reason. The candidate who carried the state has won the last four presidential elections. According to polling maven Nate Silver, Harris has only a 4% chance of winning the presidency if Trump carries Pennsylvania.

As I write, the Washington Post’s average of polls shows a dead heat in Pennsylvania. That’s no surprise. Trump carried the state by a razor-thin 0.72% in 2016 and President Joe Biden by a similar 1.17% in 2020.

A Fox News poll last month shows 61% of Keystone State voters approve of Shapiro with 32% disapproving, while 49% approve of Harris with an identical 49% disapproving. Here’s the arithmetic, then: If Shapiro on the ticket changes the vote of even 1 in 50 Pennsylvanians from Republican to Democratic, Harris is bound to carry the state. With Shapiro on the ticket, I’d tell Harris she should call Mayflower now to reserve a van to move her family’s belongings into the White House on Jan. 20.

Harris does not need Walz in order to carry his home state of Minnesota. The Gopher State has gone Democratic the past 12 presidential elections, including 1980 when it was the only state in the union to do so. Harris’s choice of Walz followed a version of the Hippocratic oath: First, do no harm. Trump’s choice of JD Vance failed on that score. Harris’ choice of Walz with his Midwestern charm and backstory as a high school coach will not.

Now on to the second reason Harris should have chosen Shapiro.

No issue is more contentious among Democrats than the Israeli-Hamas War. Shapiro’s strong support of Israel’s right to exist matches that of most of the party. A March poll showed Americans believe Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas were valid by 61% to 15%. Two anti-Israel Democratic representatives have lost primaries this election cycle including Missouri’s Cori Bush who accuses Israel of “war crimes.” Shapiro was out front when he called Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu “one of the worst leaders of all time” last January. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for Netanyahu to step down two months later.

Americans oppose violent protests against the war. As President Biden said, “Violent protest is not protected. Peaceful protest is.” Shapiro has taken the same position, stating, “What we’re seeing in some campuses across America, where universities can’t guarantee the safety and security of their students, it’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Nevertheless, left-wing congressional staffers along with members of the Democratic Socialists of America have been working to deny Shapiro the vice presidential nomination. The website nogenocidejosh.com urged supporters to “Tell Kamala and the Democrats now: Say no to Genocide Josh Shapiro for Vice President!”

Here, the simplest explanation is most likely to be true: Shapiro is being singled out for his support of Israel because he is Jewish. As Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said: “Every potential nominee for Vice President is pro-Israel. Yet only one, Josh Shapiro, has been singled out by a far-left smear campaign calling him ‘Genocide Josh.’ The reason he is treated differently from the rest? Antisemitism.”

Vice President Harris is no antisemite. Her husband is Jewish. Her stepchildren call her “Momala,” a play on her name and “Mamaleh,” Yiddish for “Mommy.”

Still, choosing Shapiro did provide Harris with a golden opportunity to firmly reject left-wing antisemitism. In the wake of 1992 race riots in Los Angeles, the artist and activist Sister Souljah asked, “Why not have a week and kill white people?” At a time when Jesse Jackson had strong support on the left wing of the Democratic Party, candidate Bill Clinton denounced Souljah as a racist and extremist, which reassured voters and gave impetus to his candidacy. What worked for Clinton would have worked for Harris. She could have had her Sister Souljah moment in choosing Shapiro.

When it comes to vice presidential nominees, JD Vance said: “My attitude is, it doesn’t really matter. … People are going to vote primarily for Donald Trump or for Kamala Harris. That’s the way these things go.” Now that Harris has selected Walz rather than Shapiro, I am in the uncharacteristic position of agreeing with Vance.

If Harris loses Pennsylvania, she will almost certainly lose the presidency. Her choice of Walz over Shapiro means the burden is all on her shoulders.

— Keith Raffel is a syndicated columnist with Creators.