By Ford Turner | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)
Pennsylvania’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention on Monday voted unanimously to support Vice President Kamala Harris as the party’s nominee to replace President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the race over the weekend.
Sen. Jay Costa, a convention delegate, said the meeting took place at 1 p.m. Monday. Costa also said he doesn’t anticipate any other nationally known Democratic heavyweights will compete with Harris for the nomination, and he also expected support for Harris to be forthcoming from many other Democratic organizations in the state.
Costa, an Allegheny County resident and the top Democrat in the state Senate, said Harris is “the right person for the job” and was Democrats’ best option. Democrats in general, he said, have been lacking in enthusiasm for the presidential race and Biden’s endorsement of Harris “flipped the switch” on that dynamic, overnight.
Reverberations from Biden’s weekend political bombshell were felt among state leaders Monday even as they continued to assess the aftermath of the attempted assassination the previous weekend of former President Donald Trump in Butler County. Prominent in the former topic and having a strong interest in the second topic was Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has been mentioned repeatedly as a possible running mate for Harris and even as a potential convention draftee pick for president.
A spokesperson for Shapiro, who is midway through his second year as governor, did not immediately provide answers to questions Monday morning, but at an event in Pittsburgh later in the day did not deny that he was being considered for the vice presidential nominee.
Costa said the vice presidential slot was not discussed during the delegates’ meeting Monday.
Prior to the meeting, Costa said Shapiro had a “very successful record” as governor and “has the capability” to hold one of the national posts.
The Democratic National Convention is slated for Aug. 15-18 in Chicago.
In a statement Sunday after Biden’s withdrawal, the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District delegates had not initially indicated who they would vote for — though Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, an at-large delegate, expressed his support for Harris in several posts on X.
In addition to Tuerk, other delegates in the Lehigh Valley-based 7th District include Aidan Levinson, Lori McFarland, Julian Guridy, Anne Wakabayaski, Baron Vanderburg, Carmen Bell, Leslie Altieri, Lori Vargo Heffner (alternate) and Fadia Halma.
Source: Berkshire mont
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