CARLISLE, Pa. — With President Biden out of the 2024 race for the White House, all eyes are now on his vice president, Kamala Harris.
Harris quickly followed the president’s Sunday announcement with one of her own, saying she intends to earn and win the Democratic nomination in his place.
“It’s the logical way to proceed," said John E. Jones III, president of Dickinson College and a former federal judge, who also served under Gov. Tom Ridge in Pennsylvania. "It’s not a done deal but it makes perfect sense.”
Many are now wondering who would complete that Democratic ticket.
“I would think even now she has a pretty good idea of which way she wants to go," said Jones. "This wasn’t totally unexpected.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is one of several names Harris is reportedly considering as her vice president.
Shapiro endorsed Harris on Sunday, shortly after she announced her intentions to run for president.
FOX43 sat down with Jones to talk about the potential of the Commonwealth's governor joining a presidential ticket. Jones has known Shapiro for decades.
“I’m not surprised he’s in the governor’s chair and I’m not surprised he’s being considered for this," said Jones. "I think he would check a huge number of boxes should Vice President Harris see fit to bring him onto the ticket.”
Jones explains if Shapiro were to enter the race, he would be able to continue his duties as governor while campaigning.
“It is a tradition in many states including Pennsylvania that when the governor travels overseas and if he’s out of state for extended periods of time, he delegates to the lieutenant governor to sort of ‘watch the store’ so to speak," explained Jones.
Shapiro would not have to resign unless he were to win, in which case the state’s lieutenant governor, Austin Davis would step into the role.
“He certainly would have to by the time his right arm would go up in the air and he would be sworn in as vice president," said Jones.
If that were to happen, then the Senate President Pro Tempore would take the position of Lieutenant Governor. That position is currently held by Republican Senator Kim Ward.
On Monday, Shapiro fielded questions from reporters while speaking at an event with the EPA in western Pennsylvania. He would not answer questions about whether he would accept an invitation from Harris, if she asked him to be her running mate.
Shapiro did confirm he spoke with both Harris and President Biden on Sunday and said he is going to do everything in his power to ensure she wins in November.
Meanwhile, several top Democrats in Pennsylvania are already publicly backing Shapiro as Harris's VP pick, including House Speaker Joanna McClinton and Rep. Jordan Harris of Philadelphia.
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