Gov. Josh Shapiro (L) and Lt. Gov Austin Davis (R) on the floor of the Pa. House of Representatives on March 7, 2023 (Capital-Star photo by Amanda Mustard).
Gov. Josh Shapiro said Tuesday morning that he had not submitted or been asked to submit vetting paperwork for consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. He again deflected questions at another press event on Wednesday about whether he was part of the veepstakes.
That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, and his remarks have done little to tamp down speculation that he’s in the mix as Harris makes her decision.
But for Pennsylvania Senate Democrats, the prospect of the first-term Democratic governor moving to a higher office may give fresh urgency to their attempt to win control of the upper chamber in November.
Widespread speculation that Shapiro is a candidate for the Democratic ticket heightened after President Joe Biden bowed out of his reelection bid and endorsed Harris, who, by Monday night had more than enough state delegates committed to supporting her for president.
Harris is expected to make the pick soon, as the Democratic National Convention is now less than a month away.
Under Pennsylvania’s constitution, if Shapiro resigned as governor, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would become governor and serve the remainder of his term. Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) would then become lieutenant governor.
But the timing of a potential Shapiro resignation would be key. And here’s where control of the Senate becomes really important in the process.
Jerry Dickinson, vice dean at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, said in the absence of any contrary law passed by the Legislature, Ward would become lieutenant governor in January 2025 if Shapiro steps down as governor in January 2025.
But if the Democrats flip the Senate in November, then the newly elected Democratic Senate majority president pro tempore would become lieutenant governor, Dickinson explained. That’s because state House and Senate members are sworn in on the first Tuesday in January, while lieutenant governors and governors are sworn in on the third Tuesday of January.
And even if Shapiro is chosen, he would not have to resign as governor immediately; he could continue to hold the office during the campaign and until he was sworn in with Harris on Inauguration Day on Jan. 20, 2025.
Under that scenario, the new majority Democratic Senate would have several weeks to elect a president pro tempore, who would then be elevated to lieutenant governor several weeks later when Shapiro had taken the oath of office as vice president and, by default, Lt. Gov. Davis became governor.
Republicans hold a 28-22 majority in the Senate, a chamber they have controlled since 1994. Democrats have expressed optimism they could flip the Senate this fall, but Republicans have pledged to hold their majority.
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