One of the top contenders to join Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential ticket just canceled all of his events this weekend.
That contender is none other than Josh Shapiro, the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania.
Shapiro was scheduled to headline three separate fundraising events over the weekend, but abruptly canceled his appearances at all three, as reported by The New York Times.
Notably, this happened just before Harris was expected to reveal her running mate.
According to The Times, Shapiro’s team attempted to keep news of the cancellations quiet.
A spokesman for Shapiro said the moves were made because of changes to the governor’s schedule.
“The governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fund-raisers for his own campaign committee,” Manuel Bonder, the spokesman, said.
“His schedule has changed, and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”
It remains unclear whether the cancellation has anything to do with Harris.
Sources told The Times Shapiro “needed to be with his family in Pennsylvania,” which may have led to the cancellations.
Shapiro has long been thought of as one of the top, if not the top, contenders to join the Harris ticket.
According to NBC News, Shapiro has outperformed all other Democrats in his home state of Pennsylvania, a key swing state.
Shapiro may also help Harris with more moderate voters.
NBC News reported Shapiro performed much better with Republicans in 2022 than most other Democrats.
Whether he ends up on the Harris ticket or not, Shapiro has endorsed Harris for president.
Other potential Democrats Harris may reportedly choose as her running mate include Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, current Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.
Regardless of who her vice presidential pick is, Harris will still have to earn her spot as the Democratic nominee at this year’s Democratic National Convention.
President Joe Biden’s abrupt exit from the race last month complicated the process for Democrats, even if Harris is still expected to be the party’s nominee.
As reported by the Associated Press, Democrats are considering some sort of competitive nomination process during the DNC, which is set to kick off Aug. 19 in Chicago.
