TALLAHASSEE, FL—As Florida Democrats rally around Vice President Kamala Harris' newly announced presidential running mate, Governor Tim Walz, Republicans are taking shots at the far-left, "antisemitic" segment of the party they believe nixed her other top contender: the Jewish, pro-Israel Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro.
Republicans claim this speaks to an insidious growth on the far fringes of the party—one that ultimately caused the 51-year-old Governor to be passed over in favor of the 60-year-old Minnesotan amidst a bloodily divisive war in the Middle East and despite Democrats' attempt to "pass the torch" to a younger generation.
"The growth of antisemitism in today's Democrat Party is deeply disturbing," said Florida GOP Chairman Evan Power in a statement. "Unfortunately, Kamala Harris' choice today of Governor Tim Walz shows she will bow to the will of the antisemites in her party and stand with her radical pro-Hamas voter base. Floridians of all faiths expect leaders to stand up to fringe elements who seek to sow hatred and disparage our Jewish neighbors."
"Kamala Harris has failed that test," he added.
State Rep. Randy Fine, the Florida Legislature's sole Jewish Republican, echoed these concerns on X, posting: "The Democrat Party has officially declared Jews not welcome. Today is the most dangerous day for Jews in America in almost 100 years. If Donald Trump doesn’t win, Jews will not be safe in America. I get no joy from that statement.”
Gov. Shapiro, a staunch Democrat who has challenged former President Donald Trump on immigration, has been unequivocally pro-choice and is a strong advocate for gun safety laws, also supports the state of Israel. He first came under fire from within when an op-ed he penned at 20 came to light, in which he argued that Palestinians are too "battle-minded" to make peace with Israel and that peace will "never come" to the Middle East.
Shapiro has since retracted those statements, telling the Philadelphia Inquirer that he was young and now firmly believes that a two-state solution is possible. He has also publicly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "one of the worst leaders of all time."
That didn't matter to far-left activists, who have branded him "Genocide Josh."
John King, a CNN anchor, was slammed for speculating that Shapiro being the VP pick could lead to "risks" because he's Jewish.
The debate over Israel and Palestine has seemingly split Democrats down the middle, with several leftist groups denouncing "Zionists" and even proclaiming support for Hamas after the terrorist group's surprise massacre of Israeli civilians at an October 7th music festival.
Other Democrats, like the Jewish Congressmen Jared Moskowitz and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, have remained in strong support of Israel, despite far-left factions demanding they feel otherwise.
Both Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz have endorsed Waltz as running mate since Harris' announcement.
