When it comes to politics, they are some of the loudest voices in Pennsylvania: left-leaning activist types who protest the fracking industry, rally for more public school funding, or join anti-war marches. When the Democrats put forward a 2022 gubernatorial candidate in then-Attorney General Josh Shapiro from the party’s center flank — with iconoclastic views on some issues important to progressives, like school vouchers — the noise coming from his left flank was truly remarkable.

Utter silence.

That’s because Shapiro, unchallenged in the 2022 primary, faced a GOP fall opponent in Doug Mastriano — a Christian nationalist state senator with ties on the extreme right, a record of 2020 election denial, and a fondness for the Confederacy — who was seen by many voters as a threat to democracy. Disagreements over issues like the future of fracking didn’t seem important compared to fears of what a Mastriano administration might do.

Two years later, Shapiro is considered one of the nation’s most popular governors — with an approval rating that’s gone as high as 61%. And with the surprise elevation of Vice President Kamala Harris to the top of the Democrat ticket and the party scrambling to make up lost ground in Pennsylvania, the largest swing state, Shapiro is one of the top contenders to become Harris’ running mate.

But that means the 51-year-old Shapiro’s rivals for the job aren’t right-wing Republicans like Mastriano but other Democrats like popular Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, the former astronaut married to anti-gun activist Gabby Giffords. Pennsylvania’s progressives, who bit their tongues in 2022 and have seen their grievances largely ignored in Harrisburg, are reverting to form. Many are speaking out against their home-state governor as a Democratic veep — raising questions among the party’s base that could derail his bid.

Upper Darby’s Colleen Kennedy, who represents Delaware County on the Democratic state committee, echoed other critics in saying that they’ll work hard for Harris no matter whom is picked. However, they contend, while Shapiro has some strong achievements that are comparable to his VP rivals, parts of his record make him a weaker choice for the Democrats.

“Shapiro has repeatedly pursued education policies that would permit discrimination against queer and trans students, disabled students, working class students, and immigrant students,” said Kennedy, in a criticism of his support for a school voucher plan. “We must continue to attract the political support of young people, who want to see accountability of rogue police departments, not student arrests” such as the raid on a pro-Palestinian encampment at the University of Pennsylvania urged by the governor.

Karen Feridun, a leader of the anti-fracking Better Path Coalition, told me that for vice president the Democrats “need all hands on deck dealing with the climate crisis, not guys like Shapiro who openly support continued fossil fuel production.” She added that “I think he will drive away the youth vote she needs between his terrible positions on both Gaza (including his intolerance of dissent) and climate.”

The basic conundrum for Harris and national Democrats is this. Would her drive for 270-plus electoral votes against Donald Trump be best-served by a center-left Democrat with crossover appeal to independents and moderate Republicans, especially in a critical swing state? Or would a candidate who alienates the left depress some of the young-voter enthusiasm that’s been evident since Harris emerged as President Joe Biden’s replacement?

The progressive case against Shapiro falls largely in four areas:

— School choice. More than two dozen public-education advocacy groups signed a letter urging Harris to not pick Shapiro as vice president, citing his statements of support both as a 2022 candidate and as governor for school vouchers that would funnel taxpayer dollars to........

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