AMBLER, Pa. — It's tricky business, angling to be the running mate on a presidential ticket when the entire electorate is a single person making the selection ‒ and the current vice president.
That challenging balancing act came to suburban Philadelphia on Monday, as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer rallied Democrats for Vice President Kamala Harris’ nascent presidential campaign. Harris wasn’t there, but the enthusiastic crowd didn’t care.
The two governors were a study in contrasts, having both cruised to victory in their 2022 elections against Republicans backed by former President Donald Trump.
Whitmer, in her second term, has repeatedly dismissed questions about joining the Harris ticket, telling MSNBC on Monday she is not being vetted for the post. She’s an effective surrogate for Harris. But the national ticket is apparently not for her.
Shapiro, now in the second year of his first term, has been dedicated to deflecting questions about whether he wants Harris to pick him for the ticket. The political wisdom here is the only way to get what you want is to never appear in public to want it.
The first rule of Veep Club: You do not talk about Veep Club.
This is the continuing reverberation of President Joe Biden’s decision nine days ago to drop his bid for a second term and instead endorse Harris for his spot at the top of the ticket.
Everyone who knows Shapiro........