Gov. Josh Shapiro poses with a declaration signed at the The Pennsylvania Laborers Training Center in Saxonburg during his announcement of new guidance for all Commonwealth agencies under his jurisdiction to evaluate and implement the use of Project Labor Agreements on Commonwealth projects whenever appropriate, on Wednesday, March 27. Butler Eagle File Photo

PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is among the top names being floated as potential running mates for Vice President Kamala Harris, now that President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race.

Shapiro, 51, is a first-term Democratic governor in a critical battleground that has become key to Democratic victory in November. The former state attorney general and Abington native is a polished communicator who has built up a political brand of bipartisanship and has earned praise from within his own party as well as from some Republicans.

He is one of several people under consideration, according to news reports and conversations with donors and Biden allies.

Speculation surrounding Shapiro started weeks ago as buzz surrounding who might replace Biden grew. Shapiro was included in polls as an option for the top of the ticket, and more recently, as a running mate alongside Harris.

Among the other names top Democrats are considering as a VP pick include North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Shapiro, who is widely known to have national political ambitions, offered no indication in recent weeks that he was entertaining the rumors and had doubled down on his support of Biden as the nominee.

On Sunday, Shapiro released a statement praising Biden as “one of the most consequential presidents in modern history.” He did not endorse Harris or mention the campaign ahead.

But across Pennsylvania, many Democrats scrambled to promote him as a potential vice presidential candidate.

Philadelphia Democratic Party chairman Bob Brady said Shapiro is on the short list for VP — and he’ll be advocating for him.

“I am telling them without question (Shapiro) would make them proud,” Brady said. “He would do a great job, he would lock in Pennsylvania. He’s a great speaker, and he would be a great addition to the ticket.”

Alan Kessler, a prominent fundraiser for Biden, dismissed the notion that interest in Shapiro could be limited to Pennsylvania, saying he’s heard from national donors who are aware of the state’s importance.

“Look, you see that the battleground map has expanded somewhat in the last few weeks but it begins and ends with Pennsylvania,” Kessler said.

But donors and party officials don’t get to make the decision. If Harris is the nominee, she will have the final say in choosing her vice presidential nominee.

“So we can all speculate and pump up names like Josh and Beshear and other,” Kessler said. “But in the end, she will have the same right that other presidential nominees have to select her running mate.”

Harris and Shapiro have some commonalities. They were often on the trail together in hugely consequential Pennsylvania in both 2020 and 2024, including as recently as last week, when they visited Reading Terminal Market together to campaign for Biden.

Both are former prosecutors, and one of Harris’s top staff members is a Pennsylvania native. Her former deputy chief of staff, Erin Wilson, who worked for both the state party and Sen. Bob Casey, is now a deputy director of political strategy at the White House.

“There are other good options but I don’t know that there’s a better option than Shapiro for VP,” said Democratic strategist Sean Coit, who formerly worked for Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., a longtime ally of Biden.

“He just won one of the three most important states in the country by 14 points, he’s led through crises, and he’s able to speak forcefully about choice, about the economy and about protecting American democracy,” Coit said. “He’s also someone who Democrats in D.C. and donors around the country have viewed as a future president for years now. Plus a former prosecutor and a former Attorney General strikes me as a good ticket when the competition is a convicted felon.”

Whether Shapiro is advocating behind the scenes to be Harris’s running mate — or if he’s just happily accepting the buzz around the possibility — is still unclear.

“I’m sure he would want it,” Brady said, adding he had not spoken to Shapiro directly on the matter. “Why would you deny being the vice president?”