Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday rejected accusations that Vice President Harris’ choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) as his running mate was influenced by the “public anti- Semitic” against fellow vice president, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D).
“Governor Walz is an excellent selection as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential nominee. He is a veteran, a teacher, a coach, and a bipartisan negotiator – serving first as a pro-Israel member of Congress and most recently as the unifying and effective governor of Minnesota,” wrote Goldman, who is Jewish. on a declaration.
“While the public anti-Semitic campaign by some members of the Democratic Party against Governor Shapiro was unacceptable and regrettable,” he continued, “I am confident, after a series of conversations today, that Vice President Harris was not influenced by them in their choice of Governor Walz. ”
Shapiro’s stance on Israel and the Israel-Hamas war has attracted particular attention during Harris’ veepstakes in recent weeks and has been criticized by some on the far left for being too pro-Israel.
Some Jewish Democrats, among them Goldman, rejected these claims, arguing that Shapiro’s views were in line with those of other vice presidential candidates and only received greater scrutiny because he is Jewish.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that Shapiro’s religion cost him the selection.
“I think that [religion] clearly was a major factor, is that she was reluctant to put a vice presidential candidate with Jewish heritage on the ticket because they are having a split in the Democratic Party,” Johnson said. “They have a pro-Palestinian, in some cases pro-Hamas, wing of the Democratic Party.”
No Democrats have expressed support for Hamas, and both President Biden and Vice President Harris have reiterated strong support for Israel amid the conflict.
“Unfortunately for Josh Shapiro, because of his heritage, I think that’s the reason he’s been forgotten,” Johnson added, later clarifying that he wouldn’t go so far as to call the reasoning anti-Semitism.
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), former President Trump’s running mate, said Tuesday that Shapiro was forced to “run away from his Jewish heritage.”
Shapiro himself praised the Walz selection as a “strong addition to the ticket” for Harris.
“Vice President Kamala Harris has my enthusiastic support – and I know that Governor Tim Walz is an exceptionally strong addition to the ticket who will help Kamala move our country forward,” he said.
As for Walz’s stance on Israel, he was praised by the Israel Democratic Majority as a “proud pro-Israel Democrat with a strong record” of supporting the U.S.-Israel relationship on Tuesday.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
