Why rising antisemitism pushes Josh Shapiro ‘to be more open about my faith’
Voters don’t care about ideology, they care about expected outcomes, says Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. He calls himself the governor of the GSD – “Since it’s the Christian Science Monitor, it’s ‘Get Stuff Done,'” he jokes at an event hosted by the Monitor, as part of the Monitor Breakfast series.
Mr. Shapiro believes the Democratic Party would benefit from following this approach. The governor, who was tapped as Kamala Harris’ potential running mate in 2024 and is now considered a leading contender for the Democratic nomination in 2028, recently gained attention by criticizing the Biden administration, saying in a podcast this week that it had failed to provide “tangible things that people could see or feel.”
But Mr. Shapiro’s harshest criticism is aimed at President Donald Trump, who the governor says is making America less safe — putting American citizens at risk through immigration enforcement operations that have turned violent and damaged perceptions of America abroad.
Why we wrote this
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — who is considered a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2028 — was a guest at a Monitor Breakfast event on Thursday. In a wide-ranging conversation, he talked about what he thinks voters want from their government and how President Donald Trump is making America less safe.
“I’m concerned that some foreign countries are boycotting the World Cup,” Mr. Shapiro said, responding to a question about travelers’ concerns about their safety inside the United States. Philadelphia is scheduled to host six World Cup matches this summer.
On immigration, Mr. Shapiro, like other Democratic officials, is unequivocal: the federal deportation campaign led by Mr. Trump violates Americans’ constitutional rights. The governor says his state is taking steps to prepare “in case this happens to us.”
Those plans involve law enforcement, Mr. Shapiro says, although he declines to share details. In Minneapolis, the number of federal immigration agents and agents deployed far exceeds the number of local agents.
He believes the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti last weekend in Minneapolis warrants a state investigation. And based on publicly available evidence, Mr. Shapiro — who was Pennsylvania’s attorney general before becoming governor — sees a strong case against the federal agents who fired the shots.
For now, he’s focused on his own re-election and helping his party in the November midterm elections, which he says will be a referendum on the Trump administration. “I don’t think we should be thinking about anything other than ending the chaos and the cruelty and the corruption of this administration,” he said. “The best way for voters to do that is to turn out in record numbers during these midterm elections. »
This means being vigilant about the integrity of elections. A portrait of William Penn, the founder of the Pennsylvania colony, hangs above his desk, Mr. Shapiro notes, emphasizing the Commonwealth’s role in establishing American rights to free elections and freedom of speech and religion. He anticipates a possible confrontation with Mr. Trump on these values.
Last fall, the Trump administration requested access to Pennsylvania’s voter rolls, including voters’ personal information. Mr. Shapiro refused. Pennsylvania, along with five other states, is now being sued by the Justice Department. “I don’t trust this administration to use [voter rolls] for purposes other than nefarious ones,” he says.
In a telltale sign of an expected presidential campaign, Mr. Shapiro has written a memoir. In his book “Where We Keep the Light,” released this week, he writes at length about his faith. An observant Jew who keeps kosher, he speaks candidly about the risks his family faces at a time of rising anti-Semitism. Last April, on the first night of Passover, a man set fire to the governor’s residence while Mr. Shapiro, his wife and their children slept inside.
It is not only politicians who are targeted. Following the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh and the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the governor has been vocal about his fear of living openly as a Jew.
“I felt a responsibility to be more open about my faith,” Mr. Shapiro said. “I now have a responsibility to offer comfort to others.”
The governor also says it is essential to emphasize religious pluralism. The dining room of the governor’s residence, destroyed during last year’s attack, is emblematic of his approach. It was decorated with Christmas trees, hosted an Iftar dinner and served as the setting for her son’s bar mitzvah.
Mr. Shapiro wishes people a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hanukkah, depending on their faith, which he says demonstrates respect for others. “When I see a federal government take your religion, or any religion, and try to impose it on others, as a person of faith… it violates everything I believe in,” he said.
“People of different faiths or religions strengthened my faith because we discovered this common humanity,” the governor said. “It is, in many ways, the American way.”
