Pennsylvania Dem issues warning to Harris about potential Josh Shapiro VP pick

A Democrat seeking statewide office in Pennsylvania is not a fan of Gov. Josh Shapiro and has warned Vice President Kamala Harris that she should look elsewhere for a running mate.

Erin McClelland, a candidate for treasurer, endorsed North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper to be the Democratic nominee for vice president over her governor in social media posts that alluded to criticisms of Shapiro.  

"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," McClelland wrote on X. "I want someone that can speak to rural voters. That is [Roy Cooper]." 

Her social media post appeared to reference a sexual harassment scandal that rocked Shapiro's office last year. A former top aide to the governor, Mike Vereb, was accused of sexual harassment by a female subordinate. The governor's office reached a $295,000 settlement with the accuser. However, Vereb did not resign until six months after a complaint was filed, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. 

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Erin McClelland, the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania Treasurer, speaks at an abortion rights rally. (Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Pennsylvania lawmakers heavily criticized Shapiro for his handling of the scandal and Republicans questioned why Vereb was permitted to remain in his position for months after the accuser came forward. 

McClelland's comments resurrecting the scandal provoked blowback from Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street and other party officials who support the governor. Shapiro, 51, is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party: a fresh face with a 61% favorability rating, according to a Fox News poll of battleground Pennsylvania, where 19 Electoral College votes are at stake in November.

Josh Shapiro speaks at his swearing in as Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol Building on Jan. 17, 2023, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)

"Look, everybody’s entitled to their opinion," Street told reporters Wednesday during a news conference. "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."

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North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is one of the top contenders to be Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate.  (AP Photo/Hannah Schoenbaum)

McClelland and Shapiro's office did not respond to requests for comment.

The treasury candidate remained unapologetic for her comments and doubled down on her thinly-veiled criticisms of Shapiro in an interview with the New York Post. 

"If I were in [Harris’] situation, I would think very strongly about the difficulties that some women experience being in a top-level position, and having men around them that have to be satisfied with being second, third or answering to a woman," she told the outlet.

McClelland also said she has not spoken with Street since the controversy over her post but believes their relationship will be "fine." 

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Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (L) speak to the press while making a stop at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (RYAN COLLERD/AFP via Getty Images)

"Someone is offended by a woman with a strong opinion. Color me thunderstruck," she told the Post. 

McClelland was quick to add though that she would support the Democratic ticket regardless of who is nominated for vice president, but praised Cooper as the best choice.

The North Carolina governor "seems very comfortable in his own skin and does not seem to have very strong ambitions to be president," McClelland said.

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"I don’t think that he would undercut" Harris, she added. "He’s good on public education, which is an issue that’s important to me."

The New York Post observed that Shapiro has come under fire from the left for his support for school choice in Pennsylvania. But he's lost support from Republicans too after he reversed his position on a school choice bill, which he previously supported.