Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) holds a rally in support of US Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic presidential election campaign in Ambler, Pennsylvania, US, July 29, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Rachel Wisniewski

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has denied rumors that he was passed over to serve as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s running mate due to his Jewish faith. 

Former President Donald Trump suggested earlier this month that Harris rejected Shapiro’s bid for the vice-presidential nomination because he is Jewish. Trump argued that Shapiro’s presence on the ticket could anger Muslim voters in critical swing states such as Michigan, especially with a heightened focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict amid the war in Gaza.

Shapiro told reporters at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), which began in Chicago on Monday, that Trump is the “least credible person” to comment on antisemitism and that the Republican presidential nominee is “trying to use me and trying to use other Jews to divide Americans further.”

“Antisemitism played absolutely no role in my dialogue with the vice president. Absolutely none.” Shapiro added, referring to Harris, the current vice president. “It is also true that antisemitism is present in our commonwealth, in our country, and in some areas within our party, and we have to stand up and speak out against that.”

Harris tapped Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her running mate earlier this month. Many observers expected Harris to select Shapiro for the vice presidential slot, citing his status as the popular governor of a critical swing state. 

However, anti-Israel critics raised an uproar over Shapiro’s steadfast support of the Jewish state. 

Shapiro, a practicing Jew, has positioned himself as a staunch supporter of Israel. In the days following Hamas’ brutal slaughter of roughly 1,200 people across southern Israel on Oct. 7, Shapiro issued statements condemning the Palestinian terrorist group and gave a speech at a local synagogue. The governor also ordered the US and Pennsylvania Commonwealth flags to fly at half mast outside the state capitol to honor the victims.  

Shapiro has condemned protests against Israeli- and Jewish-owned businesses in Pennsylvania as “antisemitic” and resisted demands to call for a “ceasefire” in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The governor revised the state codes of conduct to bar government employees from participating in “scandalous or disgraceful” behavior. Shapiro also compared anti-Israel demonstrators on college campuses to the Ku Klux Klan.