Shapiro wasn’t picked. Was it antisemitism?

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Aug 06, 2024 View in browser   By Jason Beeferman Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who came under fire from progressives for his pro-Israel views, was not selected to be Vice President Harris' running mate on the Democratic ticket. | Heather Khalifa for POLITICO PASSOVER: Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro made it to the final round of the Democratic Party’s veepstakes, only to lose the abbreviated contest to his Minnesota counterpart, Tim Walz, this morning. Shapiro would have brought a high approval rating in a pivotal swing state to Kamala Harris’ ticket, but he was not without controversy: Pro-Palestinian progressives raised concerns about his staunch defense on Israel as its war with Hamas continues. They are celebrating Harris’ pick today, while Shapiro’s Democratic defenders are aligned with Republicans in criticizing it and raising the specter he was rejected because he’s an observant Jew. “As Jewish Democrats, it’s tough to wrap our heads around the idea that everyone thought Shapiro was the strongest pick and he lost out,” David Greenfield, who leads the nonprofit Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, told Playbook. “There was an unprecedented campaign against him by the far-left, including many who are not even Democrats, to smear him because he is an observant Jew. It’s on Harris + Walz to make it clear that was not the case,” added Greenfield, a Democratic player in New York. Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, another Democrat, offered similar frustrations about Shapiro’s treatment while applauding the Walz pick. “The daggers came out for him, in a way that I think is incredibly unfair, and that is explainable only by his Jewish identity,” Levine said. “His positions on Israel are not meaningfully different from any of the other major contenders, including Governor Walz. … The attacks on Governor Shapiro I found to be profoundly unfair, and I think if he were not a Jewish elected official, he would not have been such a target." Prominent Republicans voiced — in their case, politically advantageous — concerns. “I think that clearly was a major factor, is that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential nominee on the ticket with Jewish heritage because they’re having a split in the Democratic Party,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told The Hill in an interview this morning. But the majority of New York’s Jewish Democrats are dismissing that idea and lining up behind Walz. Assemblymember Chuck Lavine, the state president of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, praised the selection and downplayed the impact of the progressives’ criticism of Shapiro. "Being loud in and of itself accomplishes absolutely nothing," Lavine said. "They don’t move the dial and it doesn’t take too long before their voices become, frankly, quite boring and repetitious." Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the nation’s highest ranking Jewish politician, echoed the sentiment. The majority leader balked at a post on X that seemed to suggest that the decision to not pick Shapiro meant there are “No Jews allowed at the top of the Democratic Party.” “News to me,” Schumer said. And the decision to pick Walz, who enjoys a pro-Israel record of his own, received praise from groups like the Democratic Majority for Israel. “As governor, he has been a steadfast supporter of the pro-Israel community in Minnesota,” the group wrote. A rep from Harris’ team called claims that Harris was influenced by pro-Palestinian activists trashing Shapiro “absurd” and “absolutely ridiculous and offensive,” according to a report in The Forward. Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, is Jewish and has been outspoken about antisemitism. Walz has previously called for a “working cease-fire” in Gaza, a similar line to Harris, while Shapiro has reportedly resisted cease-fire calls from the left. Progressives who detested Shapiro’s stance on Israel viewed the Walz pick as a win. “There were many progressive Democrats who had concerns about Shapiro’s record. And that I think might have led to greater focus on the Gaza conflict if he had been selected,” said progressive New York City Council Member Lincoln Restler, who is Jewish. Restler, who worried that picking Shapiro would have highlighted the fault lines of his party, was “overjoyed” that Harris picked Walz. “Vice President Harris has successfully unified the party over the last two weeks,” he added. “And I certainly hope that we can stay unified in the 90 days to come.” — Jason Beeferman, with reporting from Jeff Coltin   Millions of retiring Americans rely on Social Security benefits, but the program is running at a deficit and Congress has struggled to find a solution for years. Join POLITICO on August 7 to explore what can be done to save the program. What other steps can Congress take to ensure its future? And how could Social Security impact the affordability and housing crisis facing aging New Yorkers? REGISTER HERE.     From the Capitol Gov. Kathy Hochul continued to say that the pause to the congestion pricing toll program will only be temporary at a press conference in Midtown today. | Susan Watts/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul CONGESTION WATCH: Gov. Kathy Hochul wants to resolve the questions surrounding revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s capital plan “in a few months” — but it still remains unclear how top officials will replace the annual $1 billion expected from the congestion pricing toll plan. And the governor again today said her decision to delay the toll plan marks only “a temporary pause.” A Siena College poll released today found 59 percent want to permanently end the program, while only 22 percent want it implemented immediately. Hochul on Tuesday at an unrelated news conference said conversations with top legislative leaders continue over MTA funding. She spoke Monday with state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins after an appearance in Yonkers, but no broad progress was made on the issue. Hochul in June halted the implementation of a planned $15 toll for traveling into Manhattan below 60th Street. The money was expected to generate cash to help leverage $15 billion in municipal bonds and bolster the transit system’s infrastructure. State lawmakers in June rejected a series of last-minute alternatives for the toll plan, including a payroll tax hike. Hochul indicated Tuesday some of the proposals from the end of the legislative session were being reshaped. — Nick Reisman IN OTHER NEWS... CLAPBACK: Mayor Eric Adams defended his administration’s use of hotel rooms to house migrants after an audit from the city comptroller found City Hall used a problematic contractor to book scores of units that sat empty last year. Adams, speaking at a weekly press briefing, said buses of asylum seekers would arrive from places like Texas without warning, and the city had to have a readily available supply of rooms to or risk running afoul of local laws guaranteeing shelter. “When you get that call in the middle of the night: You need 200 rooms. A bus pulled in … you need 300 rooms. You don’t have time to call Motel 6,” Adams said. “You better be prepared.” The mayor and his aides said Tuesday that, while it is easy in hindsight to say authorities should have been more judicious, they emphasized just how unpredictable the flow of new arrivals was at the time. — Joe Anuta — MATERNAL MORTALITY: A state comptroller audit of the New York Department of Health finds the agency failed to track data and racial disparities in maternal health, even as Black maternal mortality continued to rise. (POLITICO Pro) — JOURNALIST ARRESTED: A New York City freelance journalist and videographer was arrested on felony hate crime charges after filming a pro-Palestinian protest that involved vandalism. (AP News) — A MESSAGE FROM THE SKY: The city, under Mayor Adams, is using drones to shout messages warning New Yorkers about the dangers of flash flooding. (The New York Times) — WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE: City voters in November will weigh in on a ballot proposal that, if approved, would allow the Department of Sanitation to clear food vendors from city parks, but the language of the ballot question doesn’t mention vending at all. (THE CITY) YOU’RE INVITED! — Join us for a special POLITICO Live event in NYC on Wednesday. What is the future for Social Security? New York Reps. Pat Ryan (D) and Andrew Garbarino (R) will discuss the challenges and solutions lawmakers are considering for the aging benefit on which millions of retiring Americans and New Yorkers rely. We’ll also talk with Jonathan Bowles, executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, Julietta Lopez of the Hispanic Federation and Stephen Miran of the Manhattan Institute, about Social Security’s impact on New York, including the housing crisis. RSVP to attend here to attend the event moderated by New York Playbook’s Emily Ngo. Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? Read it here.   Follow us on Twitter Jason Beeferman @JasonBeeferman   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters Follow us

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