Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, one of the front-runners to be Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, has canceled three appearances at weekend fund-raising events in the Hamptons, a cluster of wealthy New York towns.
The cancelations came just days before Harris is expected to announce her running mate at a Philadelphia rally on Tuesday. It was unclear why the trips were canceled.
“The governor’s trip was planned several weeks ago and included several fund-raisers for his own campaign committee,” Manuel Bonder, a spokesman for Shapiro, told The New York Times. “His schedule has changed, and he is no longer traveling to the Hamptons this weekend.”
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Vice President Kamala Harris and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (L) speak to the press while making a stop at the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 2024. (RYAN COLLERD/AFP via Getty Images)
Fox News Digital has reached out to Shapiro’s office.
One of the events was a “summer soiree” to be held for The Next 50, a liberal youth-advocacy organization, where Shapiro, 51, was marketed as a “special guest,” the Times reported.
Shapiro’s potential VP candidacy has come under scrutiny. The National Women’s Defense League is urging Harris to think twice about choosing Shapiro because of how he handled a sexual harassment case in his office involving former cabinet secretary Mike Vereb.
“Governor Shapiro’s office should have done a better job preventing sexual harassment happening in his own office by former cabinet secretary Mike Vereb, including protecting the survivor who bravely came forward, ensuring that any other potential survivors felt safe in speaking up, and ensuring the harasser didn’t have the opportunity to do further harm after the complaint,” NWDL Director Emma Davidson Tribbs said in a statement.
Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania, speaks during a campaign event with US President Joe Biden, not pictured, at the Scranton Cultural Center at the Masonic Temple in Scranton, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Biden’s home state of Pennsylvania is taking center stage as he seeks to capitalize on Donald Trump’s absence from the trail, targeting a 2024 swing state where a contentious steel deal and persistent unease over the economy have magnified voter concerns about his agenda. Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg)
“As the Harris Campaign and the Democratic Party consider their options for Vice Presidential candidates, we urge them to consider the handling of past complaints of sexual harassment inside the Pennsylvania Governor’s office,” Tribbs added. “The American people deserve to know that, if called to a higher office, Governor Shapiro will do more to ensure the safety and dignity of employees, volunteers and constituents in his office.
Vereb stepped down in September 2023 after Shapiro’s administration quietly agreed to pay $295,000 to settle claims from a governor’s office employee who said Vereb made unwanted sexual advances toward her and spoke openly about her, other staff members, and a female state senator, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Although the Commonwealth does not comment on specific personnel matters, it takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously,” Bonder told Fox News in a statement.
US President Joe Biden, First Lady Jill Biden (L) and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (R) visit a coffee shop in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on July 7, 2024. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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“Robust procedures are in place for thoroughly investigating reports of discrimination and harassment – and these procedures are implemented whenever complaints of discrimination or harassment are made and provide detailed guidance to help ensure that allegations are promptly and fully investigated and that employees feel comfortable to report misconduct,” he added.