PROSPERITY, Pennsylvania — Just under 48 hours after Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa.. ripped the bark off the tree in his speech at Temple University's Liacouras Center in Philadelphia, where he told the crowd he "loved being their governor" and endorsed the Harris-Walz Democratic ticket, the Pennsylvania chief executive was in tiny Washington County, Pennsylvania.
His venue was a training center highlighting the investments in vocational-technical training included in the bipartisan budget he signed into law last month.
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Shapiro said he wanted to speak from the heart during his Temple University speech, which was met with thunderous applause, and he did.
"I gave that speech off the top of my head," said a smiling Shapiro, who had no preparation and no need for a teleprompter to deliver his poignant and aspirational stemwinder. Shapiro said throughout the entire vetting process and press scrutiny while he was being considered by Vice President Kamala Harris to be her running mate, he still showed up in the places many politicians don't go.
"Even throughout the whole process, I was still showing up at Shippensburg University and in Hollidaysburg talking about how we reform the pharmaceutical industry to help the people who are getting screwed over by big drug companies," he said of visits to rural counties in the middle of Pennsylvania. "I kept focusing on my job, and honestly, the best thing I could do the day after this was just get right back out and do what I absolutely love, which is being governor."
Shapiro looked around and said a line he repeats often: "I'm in Washington County today, and you've heard me say this before, and it's true. I take my cues from Washington County, not Washington, D.C., and that's never changed. And I think being out here with folks that we're helping, making a difference in their lives, learning from them, listening to them, it's the most important thing I can do."
Shapiro, for now, is keeping conflicting reports about whether he turned down Harris' offer to be her running mate or she chose Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., over him close to his chest.
"I'm not going to get into my private discussions with the vice president," he said. "What I will say is, I said for two weeks, she had a deeply personal decision to make about who she wanted to be a running mate. And in the end, I had a deeply personal decision to make as well.
"I'm really, really pleased that I can stay here in Pennsylvania and do my job as governor, and I think Tim Walz is a great choice and will fill the role that she wants filled really effectively," Shapiro said.
Shapiro didn't say if he is at peace with where things stand, but he is adamant that he is in a good place.
"Oh, I'm really good," he said. "I love what I do. I just left the union apprenticeship training facility in Greene County, where I said every Pennsylvanian should have the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed. And I've always lived my life in a way where I get to chart my own course, and I'm going to continue to do that as governor."
Shapiro discussed the charming, tiny village of Prosperity, Pennsylvania (and the fish-fry dinners served there every Lent), the nearby Harvey coal mine and the training center.
Shapiro, who is of Jewish faith, immediately dismissed speculations floating around the country, specifically in Jewish communities, that antisemitism within his party was the reason he wasn't chosen by Harris.
"I can tell you that antisemitism had no impact on the dialogue between the vice president and me, period," he said.
Outside of the decision-making process, he admits antisemitism in general is a deep concern.
"I want to characterize this more broadly," Shapiro said. "I don't want what I'm about to say to reflect in any way on the vice president, but antisemitism is a real concern here in Pennsylvania and across this country, and leaders need to speak and act with moral clarity and condemn hate in all of its forms.
"I'm going to continue to do the work that's been passed down to me from William Penn to build a Pennsylvania that is tolerant and welcoming for all," he said of Pennsylvania's Quaker background and its design as a haven for religious freedom.
Shapiro, known for his "get sh** done" mantra and showing up in crisis, as well as in places like Prosperity or Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where he kicked off his campaign for governor in 2022, said that despite all the attention that surrounded the Democratic vice presidential selection, he never lost sight of the corners of Pennsylvania he fights for every day, ones that are often ignored.
"I don't pay attention to the chatter on TV or online. I don't get too high from the people who say nice things, and I definitely don't get too low from the people who say mean things. It doesn't really impact me. What impacts me are communities like this one that I'm in right now, in Washington County, that need help, and I just always want to be in a place where I can have a tangible impact on their lives, where I can bring meaningful change to their lives and make a difference," he said.
Salena Zito has held a long, successful career as a national political reporter. She worked for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for 11 years, and has interviewed every U.S. president and vice president since 1992, as well as other top D.C. leaders. She joined the New York Post in September 2016, and acts as a CNN political analyst, and also as a reporter and columnist for the Washington Examiner. Read Salena Zito's Reports — More Here.