A Leaked Video Suggests Josh Shapiro Is Kamala Harris's VP Pick
Was Harris's VP pick announcement spoiled, or was this an innocent mistake?
Published Aug. 2 2024, 6:05 p.m. ET
Since Vice President Kamala Harris has become the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, officially securing enough delegates on Aug. 2, the focus has largely been on her VP pick. As of the time of this writing, the five frontrunners are Arizona senator Mark Kelly, Kentucky governor Andy Beshear, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro.
The same day Harris won enough votes from Democratic delegates to win the party’s nomination for president, something rather scandalous happened. Or rather it allegedly happened. A tweet from journalist Ernest Owens suggested that Kamala Harris's VP pick was leaked on social media, and it appears she's chosen Josh Shapiro. Here's what we know!
A leak regarding Kamala Harris's VP pick suggests it's Josh Shapiro.
We love the drama surrounding this election as long as it's the fun kind, and this gossip is the fun kind. In his tweet, Owens starts out by writing "SCOOP" in all-caps, which immediately draws us in. "Philly political sources have told me that a staffer connected with Mayor Cherelle Parker's team accidentally posted the video today," he wrote.
You might be asking, what video? Normally when a video is leaked it's rarely good news. In this case it could be, it's just that the timing is off. "The video was scheduled for Monday ... after VP Kamala Harris was expected to announce her pick," said Owens. He then dramatically ends his tweet with: "It's Josh Shapiro, y'all." Honestly, it's the "y'all" that got us. In the replies, Owens says that there is a "firestorm" brewing.
Mayor Cherelle Parker's team says that the video was an endorsement from her office.
The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that the aforementioned video was shared on Mayor Cherelle Parker's campaign Instagram account, which is not her official mayoral Instagram account. The video apparently showed local officials and union leaders lavishing praise upon Shapiro. "I can’t think of a better partner than our governor, Josh Shapiro," says Parker in a voiceover.
A source told the outlet, "This is not an announcement of anything. This is just the mayor showing her support for a longtime friend who we know is one of the people being considered." The timing seems rather strange given how close Vice President Harris is to making an official announcement.
