Josh Shapiro took on the Catholic Church, fixed a vital bridge quickly and never lost an election.
Now, the first-term Democratic governor could get the chance to show what he can do on a national stage.
As presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris vets potential vice presidential running mates, Shapiro shows up near the top of most lists.
Everyone but Shapiro is sharing their opinions on his potential place in the white-hot veepstakes, and what a Harris-Shapiro ticket could mean for the governor, his state and party.
"He's done very well. And he's from a key state we have to win," former Gov. Ed Rendell, a fellow Democrat, said. "So those are two strong things in his favor."
Muhlenberg College political science professor Christopher Borick agreed.
"He's a popular governor from arguably the most important swing state in the U.S.," Borick said. "If I was the vice president, or the Democrats, and looking at assets to add to a ticket, Shapiro would unquestionably be at the top of the list."
On the shortlist
Shapiro's name was whispered as a possible 2028 presidential contender as early as last year, following his almost 15-point victory over Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano in 2022. He campaigned on President Joe Biden's behalf last September in New Hampshire, where Shapiro was received as a rising star on the national scene.
He has consistently shown up on shortlists of potential running mates in the last three days, but Shapiro's name started to be mentioned in that context by pollsters and pundits even before Biden's bombshell announcement Sunday afternoon.
Known for being a precise and disciplined communicator, the governor isn't tipping his hand. He formally threw his support behind Harris on Sunday, but has carefully deflected questions about joining the ticket.
His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, even the gambling world is weighing in.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the website oddschecker.com had Shapiro listed second behind the favorite, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.
Rise to prominence
Shapiro, 51, was raised in Montgomery County, one of Philadelphia's "collar counties," which carries substantial political influence as the state's third most populous county. He became an attorney and worked on Capitol Hill early in his career.
At 31, Shapiro was elected a state representative in 2004. He quickly earned a reputation as a consensus builder and power broker, and was reelected in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
He was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners in 2011.
Shapiro successfully ran for Pennsylvania Attorney General in 2016 and won reelection in 2020.
Perhaps the hallmark of his tenure of attorney general was Shapiro's handling of an extensive investigation into decades of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church across the state.
In 2022, he handily defeated Mastriano for governor, becoming the first Democrat to succeed a Democrat since 1958.
Rendell, a former Philadelphia mayor whose two terms as governor (2003-2011) overlapped with Shapiro's state representative years, recalled Shapiro as a "marvelous legislator" who quickly established himself as a leader in Harrisburg.
"He became a real important go-to guy for the Democrats, because he's so smart, because he understands politics instinctively. So he was a great legislator, accomplished a lot," Rendell said.
Shapiro went on to be a significant influence in Montgomery County government, Rendell said, helping boost the county's economy.
"And then he got elected attorney general, where he showed tremendous integrity and tremendous ability," Rendell said.
"Particularly impressive to me was the way he went after the Catholic Church — not picking on them, not making examples out of them, but not shying away because of the power that the church has traditionally had in Pennsylvania," Rendell said. "He showed courage."
Building clout as the 'GSD' governor
As governor, Shapiro frequently boasts about “getting s—— done.”
That started after he and his administration reopened a section of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia 12 days after it collapsed in a fiery tractor-trailer accident.
"He's off to a great start. Now, it's only been a year-and-a-half. And it's early, but he's off to a tremendous start," Rendell said.
That approach has not been lost on local political leaders around the state.
"A lot of politicians and people make promises. Gov. Shapiro follows through with his promises," Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown said.
"He's one of the people that I can say, actually came through with their promises," Brown said of Shapiro.
Longtime Democratic political strategist Ed Mitchell agreed.
"He's shown in the time that he's been attorney general and governor, that he's a pretty effective prosecutor and leader," Mitchell said.
"He also had a lot of clout with and continues to with President Biden, and worked hard to help (Biden) win the state in 2020."
Not everyone thinks so highly of Shapiro's track record.
The conservative Commonwealth Foundation has sharply criticized his actions and policies, including his recently passed budget.
“Gov. Josh Shapiro has made ‘get s— done,’ profanity and all, the official slogan of his administration, but when it comes to legislative accomplishments, his governing abilities have yet to live up to that motto,” a recent analysis by the foundation stated.
Shapiro’s first year-and-a-half in office "was the least productive of any Pennsylvania gubernatorial term in at least 50 years,” the analysis says.
Where to from here?
Todd Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee delegate and chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Party, openly backs Shapiro for the VP spot.
"The Democrats need to retain the blue wall of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, and Shapiro is the governor of Pennsylvania," Zimmerman said.
"Importantly, he defeated Mastriano two years ago, who was a Christian white nationalist, and that's what the Democrats are facing," Zimmerman said. "It isn't just Trump and Vance. It's the Heritage Foundation, it's Project 2025, it's Christian white nationalists. Who better to do that than Shapiro?"
Shapiro is a practicing Jew, something Professor Borick noted could be a factor for some voters.
"Imagine a ticket with a mixed race woman from California, and a devout practicing Jew from Pennsylvania," he said.
For some Americans, that ticket might represent their vision of the country, Borick said, but others might not see it that way. He called it "a sad statement" if people were to vote based on negative views of ethnicity or religion, but he said it's also "hard to discount religion and identity in the U.S."
Rendell, who also is Jewish, suggested that Shapiro's genuine faith might be a plus for voters.
"He takes his religion seriously," Rendell said. "He's a very devout person and it's not as a politician. It's just his true beliefs."
'Very astute' strategist
Borick also sees Shapiro as a strong contender for the VP spot who would bring substantial assets to the ticket because of public approval ratings in polls and his track record, "but also as a partner in how to approach the election."
"He's a very astute electoral strategist besides being fairly well regarded as a governor," Borick said.
Whether or not Shapiro gets the nod, Rendell said his name floating as a possibility for vice president benefits the state.
"It shows that we have a governor that people think highly of and that can be a factor when businesses are thinking about relocating," Rendell said.
If he's the VP pick and the Democratic ticket wins, that will have significant implications for the state, too.
Shapiro's departure would elevate Lt. Gov. Austin Davis to the top spot. The Senate president pro tempore would become lieutenant governor.
Filling Shapiro's political void would be less simple, Borick suggested.
"Right now we have a governor that's largely well received by Pennsylvania. And again, that's not an easy thing, in this day and age, especially in a very divided state. Replacing him would certainly be challenging," Borick said. "That would certainly change politics in Pennsylvania for the near future."
Rendell and Borick said the loss would be offset by greater clout for the state in Washington.
"Any publicity that Josh gets would be a plus for us. Even if he gets the vice presidential nod, and gets elected vice president, there would still be a plus for us," Rendell said.
