Jim Burn: Shapiro is best VP pick for Harris

Think like a coach. That was one of my fundamental tenets when I chaired the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. This approach was and remains important to evaluate candidates based upon who is the best person to put on the field to be successful. That is not often easy as many times it means having to say no to a friend or a political ally when the best person to nominate, endorse, or support for office is someone else

I would respectfully submit that when using that analysis, the best person for our inevitable nominee for president, Kamala Harris, to select as her running mate is Pennsylvania’s Gov. Josh Shapiro.

When thinking like a coach, the electoral math is linear, not quantum. Pennsylvania has the votes. Pennsylvania on the electoral map is a must win state. All roads to the White House go through Pennsylvania, and that is one of the only issues that both parties seem to agree upon currently.

Shapiro has taken a pragmatic approach to leadership. He has on occasion made decisions on issues and supported positions that are not popular within the Democratic Party. Shapiro knows the difference between the art of politics and the business of government. He has served as a governor for all Pennsylvanians. When that has required him to break with his party on what he believed was in the best interest of all of us, he has done so. That is leadership.

He also has an ability to reach across the aisle and work in bipartisan fashion on agenda items and issues that are important for all Pennsylvanians. As a vice president he would do the same.

Shapiro knows the diversity of Pennsylvania. He knows the diversity of all 67 counties. He knows the nuances in each of those 67 counties. Shapiro has his finger on the pulse of the needs of Pennsylvania and he has governed successfully in that fashion which explains his high approval ratings on both sides of the aisle.

The energy around Harris has been extraordinary, reminiscent of President Obama’s 2008 campaign. The electoral math, however, remains the same. The most critical piece of the electoral equation that needs to be solved is best solved with the electoral votes found here in Pennsylvania. Shapiro increases our ability to solve this equation and strengthens America’s chances of preserving this great republic.

The stakes have never been higher. The issue this November is not what ideological direction we take this country; it is whether we continue to have a country as we know it.

Jim Burn is chair emeritus of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.