PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro loomed large over Vice President Kamala Harris’ debut event on Wednesday with her vice presidential pick, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, on Shapiro’s home turf in Philadelphia.

Both Harris and Walz opened their remarks with effusive praise for Shapiro, the runner-up for the vice presidential slot and whose support they’ll likely rely on to win Pennsylvania. And Shapiro, speaking just ahead of Harris and Walz, declared his pride in his Jewish faith, to roars of approval from the crowd.

Harris said that Shapiro is a “dear, dear friend and an extraordinary leader,” adding that she’s “so, so invested in our friendship, in doing this together. Because together with Josh Shapiro, we will win Pennsylvania.”

Walz said that Shapiro is a “treasure” to Pennsylvania.

“This is a visionary leader,” Walz said. “Everybody in America knows when you need a bridge fixed, call that guy… [He] cares so deeply about his family. He’s a man of compassion and vision. And I have to tell you, I know this from experience, there is no one you would rather go to a Springsteen concert in Jersey with.”

Shapiro received a roaring reception from the hometown crowd and fired up the audience throughout his remarks, receiving some of the loudest and most sustained cheers of the evening, second only to, perhaps, Harris.

The Pennsylvania governor, who is Jewish, received strong cheers of approval from the crowd with a mention of his faith. Shapiro’s invocation of his faith, and the clear support for it from the crowd, was notable given accusations that antisemitism played a role in the left-wing campaign against Shapiro.

“I lean on my family and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve,” Shapiro said. “And I am proud of my faith.”

He told the crowd he wouldn’t preach to them, but was met with chants of “preach!” and went on to quote Pirkei Avot, saying, “no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it.”

Tonight @JoshShapiroPA energized the crowd at a rally for VP @KamalaHarris and @Tim_Walz.

Governor Shapiro quotes Pirkei Avot: "My faith teaches me that no one, no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it." pic.twitter.com/t98zuC0aBe

— Jewish Insider (@J_Insider) August 6, 2024

The event included no mention of Israel or the antisemitism rocking American Jewish communities, issues that dragged down Shapiro’s VP bid and continue to divide the Democratic base.

Shapiro also reiterated his commitment to his current role, telling the crowd, “I love being your governor” and that he will “continue to pour my heart and soul into serving you every single day” as well as “working my tail off” to elect Harris and Walz.

He gave a shout out to his two-decade friendship with Harris, as well as praised Walz as a “dear friend,” a “great man,” an “outstanding governor.” Shapiro particularly highlighted Walz’s rhetorical jabs at Republicans, which helped put Walz in the national spotlight.

“Tim Walz in his beautiful Midwestern, plainspoken way, he summed up JD Vance the best: he’s a weirdo,” Shapiro said.

He also praised young voters — the same group that drove the campaign against him — saying he’s optimistic because young voters understand the need to stand up for America and American values. “Gen Z, when they’re organized and on TikTok, understand that responsibility,” he said.

Addressing her selection of Walz, Harris highlighted his background as a military veteran, teacher and, especially, a high school football coach, with rural and working-class roots on a farm in Nebraska, painting the picture of a relatable figure for small-town America.

“I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future, a leader that will help unite our nation and move us forward,” she said, “a fighter for the middle class, a patriot who believes, as I do, in the extraordinary promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity and justice.” 

For Harris, framing Walz as a moderate, folksy everyman was a focus, amid emerging Republican attacks on the newly minted vice presidential nominee as too progressive. 

They said he’d served Congress as a bipartisan dealmaker from a purple district — though he shifted left in the governor’s mansion — as well as noting his title as one of Congress’s best marksmen. Walz was once a favorite of the National Rifle Association but has come to support stronger firearms restrictions.

“I learned the art of compromise, without compromising my values,” Walz said of his time in Congress.

Walz received his biggest cheers with calls for Republicans to “mind your own damn business,” invocations of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025, attacks on Vance for his past commentary about middle America, descriptions of Republicans as “creepy and weird as hell” and a veiled nod to a lewd online joke about Vance and couches.

Walz-inspired chants of “he’s a weirdo,” about Vance, echoed through the stadium throughout the evening.

Among the crowd, feelings were mixed about Harris’s decision to pass over Shapiro for the VP spot.

“I’m disappointed,” Kimberly Quinn, a rally attendee from Philadelphia, told Jewish Insider. “I’ve heard different rationales as to why he shouldn’t do it now, but I believe the moment is now, and we should seize the moment. I wish she had picked [him].”

“I’m hoping she gives him a cabinet spot,” Quinn added.

Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), who had been pushing for Shapiro, told reporters that she had a “moment of sadness” when Harris’ selection was announced, but called Walz a “spectacular pick” and said that Harris’ selection was “entirely her very personal, professional choice.”

Dean added that Shapiro will be “an asset” to Pennsylvania as its leader and to the Harris-Walz campaign in the state. She added that she was “delighted” that Shapiro, a “gifted communicator,” was “here to set the stage for the rollout of this ticket.”

“We’re going to win [Pennsylvania] huge,” Dean declared, when pressed on whether skipping Shapiro could endanger Democrats’ chances in the state.

Others said they’re glad Shapiro will be staying in the Keystone State.

“I think [Shapiro’s] fine where he’s at,” Kyle Baysa of Ambler, Pa. Said. “I like Walz. I think she honestly couldn’t go wrong, she had a lot of great picks. I think, honestly, Walz is a better balance. All the things that Shapiro has going for him, Kamala already has,” including their backgrounds as attorneys general and perceived youthful energy.

“I think he’s going to continue to do a great job where he’s at,” Baysa continued.

“I prefer he didn’t [get the VP slot], I prefer he stay here,” Jordan Carstarphen of south Philadelphia told JI. “I voted for him, I want him to stay here and handle Pennsylvania issues, and I believe he’d have a better shot at president if he sat this one out.”

Carstarphen said he thinks that if Shapiro “proves himself in Pennsylvania … I’m pretty sure he’d be a shoo-in for president next time.”

Cathie McGeehan, who’s originally from Scranton, Pa., but now lives in Haddonfield, NJ, said she thinks that Shapiro is “fantastic” but Harris needed to pick the candidate who would be the best “fit.”

“I’m real happy with the ticket,” McGeehan said.

Marc Daniels of Springfield, Ill., the self-proclaimed “yarmulke guy,” who’s been handing out custom yarmulkes to presidential candidates for eight years in an effort to promote Jewish values and positivity in politics, said he thought Shapiro would have hurt the Democratic ticket.

“It would have worked against Harris because of the Muslim vote, the Muslim vote would have torn her apart. It was a smart decision,” Daniels said, wearing a “100% Glatt Kosher Swag” apron covered in “Let my People Go” Biden-Harris buttons depicting a figure parting the Red Sea.

In addition to Shapiro and the Democratic nominees, both U.S. senators from Pennsylvania addressed the crowd, along with a handful of other speakers. But in a reflection of how quickly and decisively the race and the national political conversation have moved on in the past two weeks, there were scant mentions throughout the event of President Joe Biden, who’s long touted his roots in Scranton, Pa.

While Harris replacing Biden on the ticket — and choosing Walz over Shapiro — mollified some in the anti-Israel crowd, that movement remains divided over her candidacy, a fact that was on display outside the rally.

On one corner near the stadium, a sign truck proclaimed “support Harris for President, free Palestine.” On another corner, demonstrators with a Palestinian flag protested against her.