Philadelphia Mayor May Have Prematurely Leaked Kamala Harris’s Choice of Running Mate

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has reportedly revealed Vice President Kamala Harris’s pick for a running mate in the 2024 presidential election through social media on Friday.

In a post on X, Parker wrote that she was “proud to be back with so many leaders” who were supporting Harris “for President” and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) “for VP.”

“Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP!” Parker wrote. “We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United!”

Ernest Owens, the President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists (PABJ) reported that “political sources” informed him that “a staffer connected” to Parker’s team had “accidentally posted the video.”

“The video was scheduled for Monday….after VP Kamala Harris was expected to announce her pick,” Owens added. “It’s Josh Shapiro, y’all”:

A source close to Parker, who spoke to the Philadelphia Inquirer on the condition of anonymity, said the video was “not an announcement of anything.”

“This is not an announcement of anything,” the source told the outlet. “This is just the mayor showing her support for a longtime friend who we know is one of the people being considered.”

After President Joe Biden announced that he was dropping out of the presidential election, Shapiro was among the Democrats who endorsed Harris to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, describing her as a “patriot worthy” of receiving the support of the party and support from voters.

Covington & Burling, the law firm that was given the task of investigating potential vice-presidential candidates for Harris has reportedly finished its job and has given Harris the findings of its investigation, two people close to the process told the New York Times.

Harris’s campaign will reportedly announce her pick to be her running mate by Tuesday night.

In response to Harris’s reported pick of Shapiro as her running mate, several pro-Palestinian White House staffers have threatened “to quit,” and “one donor” reportedly threatened to “withhold millions.”

In 1993, Shapiro wrote a pro-Israel op-ed in which he raised doubts about a two-state solution. In the op-ed, Shapiro also revealed that he had volunteered at an Israeli Army base and wrote that Palestinians were “too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own.”

Mike Vereb, a former aide to Shapiro reportedly used Shapiro’s name during a phone call in 2018 with a woman, in which he allegedly stated, “by the time he and Josh were done with me, I would be worse than nothing,” the woman claimed in an email to lawmakers in 2023.

“You are going to continue to be nothing by the time Josh and I get done with,” the woman claimed Vereb had told her, according to ABC News.

Vereb, who was one of “Shapiro’s closest aides” has previously faced a sexual harassment complaint, in which the Pennsylvania governor’s administration paid $295,000 to settle, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.