WASHINGTON (TNS) — U.S. Sen. John Fetterman has denied reports that he or his staff sought to undercut Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s chances to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
In an interview with MSNBC, the Pennsylvania Democrat and longtime rival of Shapiro’s characterized as false an Aug. 3 Politico report that he was concerned about the governor being too focused on his own political ambition. The senator denied that he ordered his aides to warn the Harris campaign about his concerns.
“No, I never directed anyone on my team or anyone to do that,” he said. “So that’s just not true.”
The Politico story, however, didn’t report that the senator told staffers to share concerns; the worries were relayed to the campaign privately by his advisers, according to three unnamed sources.
Experts on both sides of the aisle believed Shapiro was a strong contender for Harris’ running mate, given not only his track record and prowess as an orator, but also his popularity in the nation’s most important battleground state.
But the governor was singled out for criticism among the shortlist, with a number of Democratic politicians and groups, including in Western Pennsylvania, publicly expressing concerns about his handling of a sexual harassment allegation in his office, his support for Israel in the war in Gaza and his openness to school vouchers.
Pressed on whether he did have concerns about the Pennsylvania governor — whom Harris passed over for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Fetterman said, “No,” and expressed frustration with the story and the line of questioning. He did not mention Shapiro by name.
“My issue that ever existed with the current governor is nothing to do with anything that’s been talked about, or any kind of public baggage or actually within that article,” he said. “It was all over cases about the Board of Pardons.”
The Politico story mentioned that the pair served together on the state’s Board of Pardons years ago, and that they were divided, with Fetterman wanting to overhaul the institution and offer more opportunities for clemency and Shapiro taking a harder line.
“You could ask him,” he told MSNBC when asked for more details on the rivalry with Shapiro.
When Shapiro was asked Wednesday outside Harrisburg about media reports that Fetterman had reservations about him being picked as the Democratic running mate, he said: “I have never played small ball. I am not going to start now.”
During Fetterman’s MSNBC interview, when asked how Shapiro’s being Jewish may have impacted the veepstakes during a divide in the Democratic Party over the Israel-Hamas conflict, Fetterman — a vehement Israel supporter — again expressed frustration and wanted to discuss Walz, not the Pennsylvania governor.
“I just don’t understand why we’re talking about a choice that’s already been made,” he said. “The vice president is perfectly capable of picking whoever they want. They have effectively unlimited funding. She has access to every Democratic expert and she made her choice and that’s where we’re at right now.”
Of Walz, a retired teacher, football coach and National Guard veteran, Fetterman said “he is going to kick some ass.”
“He is just a regular guy with very regular views,” he said.
Meanwhile, he added, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would “rather talk about Stormy Daniels” — the adult film star who received hush money payments that led to Trump’s criminal felony conviction earlier this year — than about his VP pick, Sen. JD Vance.
“Has Vance ever generated one positive headline at all?” he said. “I’d have to consider him a Democratic asset. Thank you for picking that kind of disaster and that kind of entertainment.”
