In the wake of President Joe Biden dropping out of the 2024 race for the White House on Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris is being thrust into the spotlight as the leading candidate to succeed Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and her party’s main hope of defeating Trump. Among those gaining attention is Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who is being considered a possible running mate for Harris.
Democrats are set to hold their convention in Chicago on August 19-22.
Who is Josh Shapiro?
Born and raised in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, Gov. Josh Shapiro received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University and majored in political science at the University of Rochester. A Democrat, Shapiro served as the 153rd District’s representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 2004 to 2012. He was a member and chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2011 to 2017.
Shapiro successfully ran for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2016 and was reelected in 2020. As attorney general, he released a grand jury report alleging the sexual abuse of children by priests, helped negotiate $1 billion for Pennsylvania in a national opioid settlement, and secured an agreement between two of the state’s largest insurance companies to protect healthcare access for two million people. He has also defended reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose in court.
In 2021, Shapiro announced his candidacy for governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 election. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican nominee Doug Mastriano in the general election. Shapiro and his wife, Lori, have four children.
