Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker caused a stir after she appeared to reveal the identity of Vice President Kamala Harris‘ new running mate.
In a campaign ad-style video, Parker introduced Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as Harris’ No. 2 on the Democratic ticket.
“Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting Kamala Harris for President and Josh Shapiro for VP! We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United!” the mayor captioned her post.
“Now we need you. Let us and Kamala Harris know you stand with her!” she stated in the video that has garnered 6.9 million views.
As soon as the video went viral on X, people started wondering if Parker had inadvertently leaked Shapiro’s accomplishment over other contestants, including Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, Govs. Andy Beshear of Kentucky and Tim Walz of Minnesota.
Later, Philadelphia journalist Ernest Owens stated that a staffer for Parker accidentally posted a video, which has stoked a “firestorm” on social media.
“The video was scheduled for Monday… after VP Kamala Harris was expected to announce her pick,” Owens stated.
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Philly Mayor’s close aides defend her
Following an uproar on social media, Parker’s close friend informed the Philadelphia Inquirer that the mayor was just expressing her support for Shapiro, whom she views as a “friend”.
“This is not an announcement of anything. This is just the mayor showing her support for a longtime friend who we know is one of the people being considered,” the source told the local newspaper.
According to The Post, national sources close to the Harris campaign stated that they highly doubted the mayor had disclosed any confidential material.
Another source informed the outlet that the video was “odd,” and they feel that Parker was just “trying to make ‘fetch’ happen.”
Several reports have stated that Harris is still talking with possible running mates, which supports the theory that Parker is unaware of the selection.
Moreover, Harris and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg met for almost ninety minutes on Friday to talk about the position, Reuters reported.
Harris is expected to announce her vice president decision this weekend or early next week. The undisclosed running mate is anticipated to stomp across the swing states alongside Harris.
