A Democrat running for statewide office has called out a top VP contender for Kamala Harris, offering biting comments just as his star is ascending.
As the New York Post reported, Pennsylvania Democrat Treasurer nominee Erin McClelland in a tweet Tuesday night accused Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of sexism and covering up sexual harassment while inferring he had too big of an ego to be Harris’s sidekick.
She went on to endorse another Democrat, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper.
“I want a VP pick that’s secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won’t undermine the President to maneuver his own election & doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug,” McClelland wrote.
“I want someone that can speak to rural voters. That is @RoyCooperNC,” she added.
I want a VP pick that’s secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won’t undermine the President to maneuver his own election & doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug. I want someone that can speak to rural voters. That is @RoyCooperNC
— Erin McClelland (@ErinforPA) July 23, 2024
While McClelland did not elaborate in her tweet how Shapiro covered up sexual harassment, The Philadelphia Inquirer stated she was referring to a disturbing incident that occurred in Shapiro’s office last year.
The scandal involved a woman who accused her boss, Shapiro legislative liaison Mike Vereb, of sexual harassment. Shapiro’s office then tried to put the matter to rest by reaching a $295,000 settlement with her.
But Vereb, a close Shapiro confidant for decades, refused to resign from his Cabinet-level position until several months after an internal complaint was filed, as the Inquirer notes.
McClelland elaborated to the Post on Friday regarding her concerns of Shapiro potentially being Harris’s running mate.
“If I were in her (Harris’s) situation, I would think very strongly about the difficulties that some women experience being in a top-level position and having men around them that have to be satisfied with being second, third, or answering to a woman,” she stated.
The Post notes McClelland’s scathing remarks stand in contrast to other Pennsylvania Democrats who have enthusiastically Shapiro for VP and upset state Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street in the process.
“Look, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” Street said at a press event in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
“But I’ll tell you, I’m offended by the post,” he added. “I’m personally offended, and I’ll have conversations with our nominee for treasurer separately.”
Despite her concerns over Shapiro, McClelland told the Post she would still support Harris no matter who she picks as VP. So much for standing on principle and for women’s rights.
If Harris does pick Shapiro, every Democrat should shut up forever regarding President Trump’s treatment of women unless they are going to praise him.
