The Pennsylvania governor’s support for private school vouchers has prompted several education advocacy organizations to oppose his potential VP candidacy.
A coalition of public education advocacy organizations has formally urged Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running for president, not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro as her running mate over his support for private school vouchers.
President Joe Biden exited the presidential race last Sunday and endorsed Harris. The vice president is expected to announce her running mate at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) where she’ll likely accept the party’s nomination.
Shapiro, a popular governor of a crucial swing state, has been rumored to be a top choice for Harris. An Emerson College Polling/The Hill survey of 850 Pennsylvanians conducted between July 22 and 23 found that 49 percent approve of Shapiro, while 31 percent disapprove. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3 percent.
In a July 24 letter signed by more than two dozen organizations across the country, including Pennsylvania’s 412 Justice, the coalition called for Harris to “select a running mate for Vice President of the United States who fully supports public education.” They added, “For this reason, we respectfully ask you not to select Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.”
The coalition claims that Shapiro is not a champion of public education and “instead has supported voucher schemes.
