Gov. Josh Shapiro championed the Democratic Party as the “party of real freedom” during his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday night.
Addressing the packed convention hall, Shapiro outlined his vision of freedom, contrasting it sharply with Republican policies.
“It’s not freedom to tell our children what books they’re allowed to read. No, it’s not. And it’s not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. And hear me on this, it sure as hell isn’t freedom to say, ‘you can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner.’ That’s not freedom,” he said.
The governor’s remarks echoed his 2022 gubernatorial campaign theme of freedom, which has been mirrored by Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign.
Shapiro framed the Democratic ticket of Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, as protectors of fundamental liberties.
“We are the party of real freedom. That’s right,” Shapiro said.
The governor stated: “The kind of real freedom that comes when that child has a great public school with an awesome teacher because we believe in her future. Real freedom that comes when we invest in the police and in the community so that child can walk to and from school safely and get home to her mama. Real freedom that comes when she can join a union, marry who she loves, start a family on her own terms, breathe clean air and drink pure water, worship how she wants, and live a life of purpose where she’s respected for who she is. Real freedom that comes when she looks at Madam President and know that this is a nation where anything and everything is possible.”
In his call to action, Shapiro urged the audience to reject former President Donald Trump’s agenda, which he described as having “no guardrails” and a threat to democratic rights.
Shapiro pointed to the importance of mobilizing voters both in-person and online around “three basic American principles: We value our freedom, we cherish our democracy, and we love this country.”
Following the speech by Shapiro, Trump posted to his social media platform, Truth Social, that the “highly overrated Jewish governor of the great commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Josh Shpairo, made a really bad and poorly delivered speech talking about freedom and fighting of Comrade Kamala Harris.”
Trump stated that he believes Harris hates Israel and Shapiro should have praised the former Republican president during the speech at the Democratic convention.
Shapiro, who was a finalist for Harris’ running mate, spoke after former President Bill Clinton and before Walz.
The Montgomery County resident’s prime time presence at the convention underscored Pennsylvania’s critical role as a battleground state, which swung from Trump in 2016 to Joe Biden in 2020. Shapiro won in 2022 by a double-digit lead.
Throughout the convention, Shapiro has been speaking before state delegations and attending events. He had a notable appearance at a Politico event.
Shapiro is widely seen as a future Democratic candidate for president.
Harris will formally accept the Democratic nomination for president during a prime time speech Thursday night at the convention.
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