Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro says he was subjected to an astonishing line of questioning by Vice President Kamala Harris’s vetting team when he was being considered as her running mate in the 2024 election. In excerpts from his forthcoming memoir Where We Keep the Light, Shapiro recounts being asked whether he had ever acted as a “double agent for Israel” or communicated with Israeli undercover operatives.
Shapiro, who is observant in his Jewish faith and has long supported a strong U.S.–Israel relationship, described the question as offensive. He told book ghostwriters that he replied incredulously — pointing out that if such agents were undercover, there would be no way for him to know — and questioned what the line of inquiry said about the people surrounding Harris’s campaign.
The uncomfortable exchange came on the heels of other probing questions about his views on protests and politics, including whether he would apologize for past comments on antisemitic demonstrations on college campuses. Shapiro stood his ground, saying he would defend free speech even when he disagreed with the content of certain protests.
Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, and the 2024 ticket went on to lose both the popular vote and Electoral College in one of the most surprising outcomes in recent memory. Shapiro has since launched his second term as governor and is widely viewed as a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028.
Shapiro’s account also pushes back against Harris’s own portrayal of their interactions in her memoir 107 Days, where she suggested he was overly focused on the vice president’s role and perks. Shapiro has called those claims inaccurate and aimed at promoting book sales.
The episode highlights the tensions inside the Democratic Party on foreign policy, identity politics, and how candidates are evaluated. It also raises broader questions about the standards used when vetting senior leadership candidates and what issues Democratic insiders consider decisive — even at the risk of alienating key constituencies and allies.
