Who is Josh Shapiro, the man who will likely be Kamala Harris’ running mate

New Delhi:

Days after President Joe Biden withdrew from the presidential race, his vice-president, Kamala Harris, became the favorite to replace him as the Democratic candidate in the November 5 elections. In addition to President Biden himself, important party figures are supporting her. If Harris wins the nomination, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro will be the favorite to join her on the ticket.

Betting markets have Shapiro at odds of 7/4, followed by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper at 3/1 and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear at 5/1.

Who is Josh Shapiro?

1. Josh Shapiro was born on June 20, 1973 and raised in Pennsylvania. His mother was an educator and his father was a pediatrician. He studied political science at the University of Rochester and later earned a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He now lives in Montgomery County with his wife, Lori, and their four children – three school-aged sons and a daughter who attends the University of Pittsburgh.

2. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2004, serving the 153rd District for eight years. He then served as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2011 to 2017. In 2016, Shapiro was elected Attorney General of Pennsylvania and re-elected in 2020.

3. During his tenure as Attorney General, Josh Shapiro exposed the Catholic Church’s decades-long cover-up of child sexual abuse, identifying 301 predatory priests and thousands of victims. He protected access to healthcare for nearly 2 million Pennsylvanians and defended reproductive rights and a woman’s right to choose. He also held more than 100 corrupt officials responsible for breaking the law, regardless of party affiliation. He worked with authorities to arrest thousands of drug dealers and take thousands of illegal weapons off the streets. He also supported LGBTQ+ marriage rights. During the 2020 presidential election, Shapiro saved voting rights and defended Pennsylvania’s election results, winning dozens of lawsuits before and after Election Day.

4. In January 2021, Josh Shapiro began his second term as Attorney General. During this period, he continued to combat the opioid crisis, arresting more than 8,000 drug traffickers and holding pharmaceutical companies and their CEOs accountable for their role in the COVID-19 epidemic. He secured more than $328 million in aid for Pennsylvanians, including seniors, students and workers, who were exploited by private lenders and employers.

5. Josh Shapiro also worked on criminal justice reform, creating a database to track police misconduct. He brought together activists and officials to make this happen. In 2022, he made history, receiving the most votes ever in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race.