PHILADELPHIA — This commonwealth has become accustomed to being the center of political attention. But even as that status was confirmed by the debut rally of the Democratic Party’s freshly minted presidential ticket, Pennsylvania Democrats felt left out.
Scranton Joe Biden has been replaced by Californian Kamala Harris at the top of the ticket, and despite widespread anticipation here, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is not her running mate. Hours before Tuesday’s rally, that job went to Tim Walz, the governor of a state that doesn’t even border Pennsylvania. So what does this rally mean now to Philadelphians?
“If it was going to be Josh Shapiro, I’d be there,” Philadelphia city councilman and city Democratic Party leader Jim Harrity told NOTUS ahead of the rally. He helped give out backpacks full of school supplies to kids in the city on the last day of the National Night Out program instead of making his way to the rally site. That was a change in plans. He was a strong supporter of Shapiro to win the veepstakes and was excited to celebrate him at the rally.
“Now that it’s not going to be one of us, I don’t see a need to go,” Harrity said, before adding, “From what I understand, Walz is a decent guy. I am fully behind him.”
The Democrats in Pennsylvania, especially the ones in Philadelphia, had pushed hard for Shapiro to get the veep slot. They talked him up to visiting reporters, they held rallies for him, they posted a hype video about him.
Now they had to stand in their city and watch another guy take the gig.
“I’m not activated. I’m not amplified,” attendee Carlton Thompson, a Philadelphia resident, told NOTUS as he waited for the rally to start. “I’m happy enough off the strength of Kamala, but the pivot from Shapiro is a bit discouraging.”
No one said the new Harris-Walz ticket can’t win Pennsylvania, just that it could be harder now without the popular governor running alongside the woman who brought enthusiasm back to the Democrats in 2024.
Shapiro, scheduled to attend the rally debuting Walz, welcomed Walz in a statement posted to X.
Harrity and other elected Democrats also expressed support for the Harris-Walz ticket but grumbled about Democratic infighting in the state. Sen. John Fetterman, who spoke briefly at the rally, calling Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, a “weird” colleague, had reportedly trashed Shapiro to the Harris vetting team.
“I’ve heard what I needed to hear from Kamala for her to have my support. If she wasn’t going to choose Shapiro, I’m not really concerned about the other choices,” said Aminah Shabazz, a rally attendee. “I don’t know them.”
Not every Democrat waiting for the rally was in a grumpy mood. Corrine Upshur, is a Philadelphia native who has moved away. She now serves on the city council in Smyrna, Delaware.
“Honestly, I thought since it was going to be in Philadelphia that it was going to lean towards Shapiro. I’m pleasantly surprised with her pick,” she said. “Both Harris and Walz’s vision for America align. Other choices might have done well, but I knew Walz was the best match for the ticket.”
Rogette Harris, who chairs a regional caucus in Pennsylvania, as well as the Dauphin County Democratic Committee, was also optimistic.
“Harris and Walz have different résumés and they’re different in many ways,” she said. “I think she and Gov. Shapiro were too similar, you know, both attorneys general and whatnot. Walz brings something different. He’s from a small town, rural area. He was a teacher, a football coach. He hunts, he was in the military.”
“They complement each other. Too often in politics, we want everyone to be the same and just fall in line.”
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Evan McMorris-Santoro is a reporter at NOTUS. Calen Razor is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.