In the United States of America, it’s all about everything: democracy against dictatorship, hate against cohesion, craziness against reason. With Joe Biden’s withdrawal, the chances for a successful defense of the 240-year-old American democracy against Donald J. Trump and his Republicans are rising.
For Biden’s Democrats, equally important and urgent questions have arisen: Who will the Democrats send into the race? Who can defeat Trump? Who might even convince moderate Republicans? Who can deliver captivating speeches without mistaking Zelensky and Putin or making comparable blunders? Who has what it takes for the big job?
Different demographic groups in the U.S. often develop their own views, especially when it comes to presidential candidates. America’s Jews, who predominantly vote Democrat, will closely follow the just-started search for the right candidate—not only due to the rising anti-Semitism or the Israel policy.
Prosecutors Against Trump
For the Jewish minority, it is now also about the question of whether one of their own could be sworn in as president in January 2025. With Josh Shapiro and J.B. Pritzker, two Jews are being discussed as possible Democratic candidates—alongside Christian party colleagues.
Both are governors: Shapiro governs Pennsylvania, Pritzker in Illinois. Both are strong personalities. Both are part of a younger generation of politicians, which is an important aspect given the discussions about the well-being and missteps of the 81-year-old Joe Biden.
Josh Shapiro is 51 and was the Attorney General of his state—just like the current favorite among the potential Democratic presidential candidates, Vice President Kamala Harris. Sending a former prosecutor against a convicted individual like Trump into the race—regardless of gender—would be seen as a smart move by many Americans.
Victory Against the Right
Shapiro studied law at Georgetown University in Washington D.C., then worked as chief advisor for a senator. Two decades ago, he managed to unseat a Republican opponent and took his place in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
As Attorney General, Shapiro had to deal with child sexual abuse by priests, as well as the opioid addiction crisis that has plagued the U.S. for some time. He was involved in negotiations for a settlement with the manufacturers of such medications for his state.
The fact that he later won an election for the governorship against a Republican right-wing politician, namely Doug Mastriano, speaks in his favor. Could he replicate such a victory on a national level against the right-wing populist Trump? Many believe he can.
Overheating Batteries
On the one hand, Josh Shapiro is a serious candidate. However, there is one factor that speaks against him: The governor officially supports Kamala Harris.
After President Biden announced his withdrawal, Governor Shapiro was one of the first to thank him on platform X: “President Biden is a patriot who has served our country in the Senate, as Vice President, and as one of the most steadfast presidents in modern history.”
Then, in the governor’s office in Harrisburg, several phones likely overheated. On Sunday at around 6:00 p.m. local time, Josh Shapiro finally issued another, highly interesting statement: “I will do everything I can to help Kamala Harris get elected as the 47th President of the United States.”
High School Sweetheart
In conjunction with the statement that the best way for the Democrats now is a united support for Vice President Kamala Harris, this is nothing less than an endorsement for her. Has Shapiro thereby taken himself completely out of the race? Or does he hope to be proposed as a candidate by party colleagues?
Josh Shapiro is a practicing Jew. He belongs to the conservative denomination, which is positioned between the Orthodox and the progressive reformers. He lives kosher, attended a Jewish high school, and found the love of his life there with his classmate Lori. He later married his high school sweetheart.
For most Jewish voters in America, the question of whether a candidate is pro-Israel holds significant importance. In Shapiro’s case, there is absolutely no doubt about it.
Not Too Kosher
When Israel haters accused the Jewish owners of the restaurant “Goldie” in Philadelphia of supporting an alleged “genocide” of Israel in Gaza, Governor Shapiro demonstratively went there to eat. Then, when supporters of Palestinian terror set up a “protest camp” on the grounds of the University of Pennsylvania a few weeks ago, he called for its prompt disbandment by the police.
In December, Shapiro defended Israel’s actions against terror in Gaza: “Israel has not only the right but also the responsibility to rid the region of Hamas and the terror that Hamas can perpetrate.” He demands that the U.S. help the Israeli people.
With Jay Robert Pritzker, simply known as “J.B.,” the situation is partly different. On his social media channels, at least on Sunday, there was neither a thank you to Biden nor an endorsement for Harris, but rather a video in which the governor treats himself to a not-so-kosher “cheese dog”—a cross between a “hot dog” and a “cheeseburger.”
Older Sister
The 59-year-old Pritzker is a member of the extremely wealthy family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain. In 2019, the businessman and lawyer was appointed governor of Illinois and re-elected in 2022. This means: he can win too. Before taking office, he was a significant supporter of the Democrats, to whom he made generous donations.
His family descends from Ukrainian Jews. He himself, like other members of the dynasty, is known as a philanthropist. Politics is also not foreign to the Pritzkers: His older sister Penny Pritzker served as Secretary of Commerce under President Obama.
A young J.B. Pritzker once attended a prestigious boarding school in Massachusetts. Later, he studied politics at Duke University in North Carolina and law at Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago before working as a legal advisor for a congressman and a senator.
“Dumb and Stupid”
He also founded “Democratic Leadership for the 21st Century,” an organization that addresses how young voters can be tied to the Democrats and then stay with the party. All of this makes him a possible candidate.
No Democrat doubts that J.B. Pritzker is a loyal party soldier. Another quality makes him a suitable opponent for Trump: Like the Republican candidate, J.B. Pritzker is good at dishing it out. When Trump accused the heavyweight of eating too many hamburgers, the governor shot back: The Republican ex-president is “dumb and stupid.” Everything Trump stands for is “even worse than last time.”