Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday brushed off accusations that Vice President Harris’s selection of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as her running mate was influenced by the “public antisemitic campaign” against fellow VP front-runner Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).
“Governor Walz is an outstanding selection for Kamala Harris’ VP nominee. He is a veteran, a teacher, a coach and a bipartisan deal-maker — serving first as a pro-Israel independent-minded member of Congress and recently as the unifying and effective Governor of Minnesota,” Goldman, who is Jewish, wrote in a statement.
“While the public antisemitic campaign from some within the Democratic Party against Governor Shapiro was unacceptable and regrettable,” he continued, “I am confident after a number of conversations today that Vice President Harris was not influenced by them in her selection of Governor Walz.”
Shapiro’s stance on Israel and the Israel-Hamas war garnered particular attention during Harris’s “veepstakes” in recent weeks and came under criticism from some on the far left for being too pro-Israel.
Some Jewish Democrats, Goldman among them, pushed back on those claims, arguing that Shapiro’s views were in line with other vice presidential contenders and only given greater scrutiny because he is Jewish.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday claimed that Shapiro’s religion cost him the selection.
“I think that [religion] clearly was a major factor, in that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential nominee on the ticket with Jewish heritage because they’re having a split in the Democratic Party,” Johnson said. “They have a pro-Palestinian, in some cases pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party.”
No Democrats have expressed support for Hamas, and both President Biden and Vice President Harris have reiterated strong support for Israel amidst the conflict.
“Sadly for Josh Shapiro, because of his heritage, I think that is the reason he was overlooked,” Johnson added, later clarifying that he would not go as far as to call the reasoning antisemitism.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, said Tuesday that Shapiro was forced to “run away from his Jewish heritage.”
Shapiro himself lauded the Walz pick as a “strong addition to the ticket” for Harris.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support — and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” he said.
As for Walz’s stance on Israel, he was praised by the Democratic Majority for Israel as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record” of backing the U.S.-Israel relationship on Tuesday.
