Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, reportedly one of the the frontrunners to be Kamala Harris's vice presidential running mate, was accused of covering up sexual harassment in his office by another Democrat running for statewide office.
Erin McClelland, a candidate for treasurer in Pennsylvania, accused Shapiro of covering up a sexual harassment claim by an aide last year
“I want a VP pick that’s secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won’t undermine the president to maneuver his own election & doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug,” McClelland posted on X Friday. “I want someone that can speak to rural voters. That is [North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper].” Cooper is reportedly in the final running for the second spot.
Reports emerged in October that Mike Vereb, who was Mr. Shapiro’s secretary of legislative affairs, made "lewd and misogynistic remarks against her and that she faced retaliation," according to the Washington Times.
The lawsuit was settled quietly for $295,000. It was swept under the rug with the usual "non-disclosure" agreements.
Mike Vereb — Shapiro’s top liaison to the General Assembly and one of the governor’s closest allies for decades — abruptly resigned his cabinet-level post last month after less than nine months on the job. The Inquirer later reported that Vereb had been accused in March of sexually harassing an employee who briefly worked for him in the governor’s office.
Vereb’s decision to step down came three weeks after Shapiro’s office agreed to pay his accuser to resolve complaints she’d filed with the state Office of Equal Employment Opportunity and the independent Human Relations Commission, according to the settlement documents signed Sept. 5 and released Friday through the state’s open records law.
The agreement did not include any admission of wrongdoing from Vereb or the governor’s office. And the woman — whom The Inquirer is not identifying due to the nature of the allegations — and others involved from both sides signed a nondisclosure agreement barring them from publicly discussing her allegations.
I'm sure the Harris camp is looking very closely at Shapiro's actions during the entire affair. They're looking at it from the standpoint of what Republicans can make out of it. I don't see it as disqualifying, but does Harris really want to deal with the fact that her running mate covered up sexual harassment in his office on behalf of an old friend?
McClelland's accusation has roiled the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.
Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street said on Wednesday evening, “Look, everybody’s entitled to their opinion,”
“But I’ll tell you, I’m offended by the post,” he continued. “I’m personally offended, and I’ll have conversations with our nominee for treasurer separately.”
McClelland responded, “Someone is offended by a woman with a strong opinion. Color me thunderstruck.”
Another spot of trouble for Shapiro is his stellar record on school choice. That's a no-no for a Democrat running on a national ticket.
McClelland is not alone on the left, though.
She joins 28 anti-school-choice organizations that oppose Shapiro’s candidacy. The organizations penned a letter to Harris urging her to pick one of three other Democratic governors as her running mate — and Cooper was on that list.
The gov, who served as Keystone State attorney general from 2017 to 2023, was handily elected to the position over hard-right GOP candidate Doug Mastriano in 2022.
Shapiro received acclaim last year for his leadership during the repair of a collapsed Interstate 95 bridge in Philadelphia but has been criticized on both sides of the aisle for his work on school choice — albeit for very different reasons.
Republicans are disappointed he caved last summer on the state Senate’s school-choice bill, which he’d backed before that.
Shapiro is near the top of the list because Pennsylvania is vital to Harris's campaign. She must win it if she's going to have any chance of defeating Donald Trump.
Any other negatives Shaprio is carrying pale by comparison.
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