Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told reporters on Wednesday that he likes his current job and looks forward to making progress in Harrisburg.
The Montgomery County resident was a finalist as Vice President Kamala Harris sought a running mate following her quick ascension to Democratic nominee for president.
“I love what I do,” Shapiro told reporters outside of a coffee shop near Harrisburg, according to video posted by WGAL-TV reporter Tom Lehman. “I worked really hard to earn the trust of the people of Pennsylvania.”
Shapiro called being governor a “serious job” and there are “serious challenges” that he wants to work on in the Keystone State.
The governor has been mentioned as a contender for the 2028 or 2032 Democratic presidential contests. He has long been rumored to have higher political aspirations.
Harris picked Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who Shapiro is friends with, on Tuesday to be her running mate. Shapiro spoke in favor of Harris and Walz Tuesday evening at a large rally in Philadelphia.
Politico reported, citing unnamed sources, that Shapiro and Harris’ Sunday face-to-face could have gone better. He later called the vice president’s team to state he was “struggling with the decision to leave his current job as governor of Pennsylvania, in order to seek the vice presidency.”
“I love what I do, and I love to do it on my terms,” Shapiro said on Wednesday.
At the Tuesday rally in Philadelphia, Shapiro won praise from Democratic commentators for his speech in favor of Harris and Walz, who was not previously a well-known national political figure. He also spoke his current job.
“Every single day I go to work for you. I put my shoulder to the wheel and I focus on three simple letters in our alphabet, G-S-D. I focus on getting s**t done for all of you,” he told the crowd. “I am going to continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day as your governor.”
Shapiro is in his first term and has been seen as a rising star in the national Democratic party.
On conservative commentator Ben Shapiro saying the governor wasn’t picked by Harris because he was Jewish, Shapiro said that wasn’t true. He opined that the conservative opinion show host “has literally no idea what he’s talking about – on a whole host of things.”
Shapiro stated he looked forward to his job in Harrisburg and he wanted to work in Democrats and Republicans in the legislature to pass skill games regulation and approve a new funding bill for public transit. He said the approved 2024-2025 budget was a success and “put a lot of points on the board.”
Polling has shown Shapiro to be a popular governor, who handily won the state in 2022 when he ran against conservative Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano.
