During an interview on Wednesday that was aired on CNN’s “The Lead,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) responded to a question on people, including those who oppose the existence of Israel, turning against President Joe Biden and whether the uncommitted vote in the state means that Biden has work to do to convince young people and progressives by stating that “people want to use the power of their vote to send a message, and I appreciate that. I think, at the end of the day, it’ll be important for them to understand that they really have a binary choice” and they’ll “come back to Joe Biden.”
Shapiro said while there should be “nuance” about the Middle East, protesters should know history and have constructive beliefs, and he supports a two-state solution, “there should be no nuance, there should be no daylight between anyone, on the left or the right, Democrats or Republicans, when it comes to standing up and combating antisemitism in our communities.”
Host Jake Tapper then asked, “There is a political dimension to this because, obviously, a lot of people who hold the views we’re talking about who are really passionate against, not just what the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Forces are doing in Gaza, but just the existence of Israel, are against Biden, turning against Biden. Yesterday’s election in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 5.3% of voters — Democratic voters opted to write in a candidate instead of voting for Joe Biden. Now 5.3% isn’t huge, but the number was almost 10% in Philadelphia County. And at three voting precincts on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, if you add them all together, Biden only received 63.7% of the vote, ‘28% of voters in the primary on Penn’s campus chose to write in a candidate — an option encouraged by activists seeking to express opposition to Biden’s foreign policy in the Israel-Hamas war.’ Does this suggest to you that Biden has some work to do when it comes to convincing professionals, young people, progressives in Pennsylvania?”
Shapiro responded, “It suggests to me that there’s work to do. It also suggests to me that people want to use the power of their vote to send a message, and I appreciate that. I think, at the end of the day, it’ll be important for them to understand that they really have a binary choice between Donald Trump, someone who wants to rip away their freedoms, whether it’s the right to choose, the right to be who you are, someone who is going to be dangerous and destructive when it comes to the global leadership that America needs to provide, someone who has a failed economic track record, versus Joe Biden, someone who they have a profound and honest difference with over one particular piece of his conduct in foreign policy. I think when there’s a binary choice, at the end of the day, they will come back to Joe Biden.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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