Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro stumped for Vice President Kamala Harris in Philadelphia on Sept. 15 as part of her campaign's "Fighting for Reproductive Freedom" bus tour.
Shapiro — joined by several other Harris supporters, including Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) and abortion rights activist Hadley Duvall — spoke at the Independence Visitor Center in Old City, kicking off the Pennsylvania leg of the tour. The tour is set to make at least 50 stops in various swing states and will continue throughout Pennsylvania during the week.
The crowd greeted Shapiro — an ex-officio member of the University's Board of Trustees — with enthusiasm as he took the stage, and waved signs reading "Harris Walz" and "Reproductive Freedom." Shapiro, who said he had known Harris for nearly 20 years, described her as “tough as nails” and contrasted her campaign with that of former President and 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump.
“When Donald Trump was in charge, we know he brought a lot more chaos in this country and a whole lot less freedom,” Shapiro said. “He packed the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court went ahead and ripped away a fundamental freedom from millions of women across this country.”
However, he also noted that 1968 Wharton graduate Donald Trump and Harris likely agreed on one point — the importance of Pennsylvania in the 2024 presidential election.
“Let me be very clear, attacking Taylor Swift, especially in her home state of Pennsylvania, is not a smart move,” Shapiro said. “Neither is stripping away freedom from millions of women because women are going to vote in this election.”
Shapiro is referencing a recent Truth Social post from Trump, in which he wrote "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!" The pop star recently endorsed Harris for president in an Instagram post, where she mentioned she was "heartened and impressed" by Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and his support of "a woman’s right to her own body."
The Pennsylvania governor highlighted his record and stance on abortion, saying he is "a governor who has always stood on the side of freedom and protected a woman's right to choose." He warned of the repercussions on abortion rights in Pennsylvania if Trump were to be elected.
"They will make it impossible for women to make decisions over their own bodies, and it's going to make it harder for us in Pennsylvania to be able to stop that," Shapiro said.
Dean spoke briefly at Sunday's rally before Shapiro's speech. She urged attendees to encourage their friends to "vote for every Democrat up and down the ballot."
“We are ready to turn the page on Mr. Trump’s chaos and indecency," Dean said. "We are ready to turn the page on his mandate of misogyny.”
Dean also emphasized the importance of winning Pennsylvania in the presidential election — noting its history and nickname of the "Keystone State" — and highlighted Harris' and Walz's track record on abortion rights.
"The Harris-Walz ticket is the strongest on reproductive freedom that we have ever seen in this country," Dean said.
Hadley Duvall, a sexual abuse survivor and abortion rights activist from Kentucky, also spoke at Sunday’s rally. Duvall began sharing her story publicly after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 — first rising to prominence after appearing in a television campaign ad for now Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear — and spoke at the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
"I was too young to really understand what was happening to me, but hearing that I had options was the first and the only thing that kept me able to hold on to hope," Duvall said.
She added that women and girls no longer have the same options and blamed Trump for the loss of abortion access. Duvall also highlighted the personal impact of Trump’s abortion policies, noting that her home state of Kentucky has implemented "an extreme abortion ban" with no exceptions for victims of rape and incest.
Shapiro noted during his speech that Pennsylvania has experienced a "dramatic increase" in people coming from states like West Virginia and Ohio to seek basic reproductive health care, because of the more restrictive policies in those states.
“I made it clear our doors are open in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for women across all of these United States,” Shapiro said.
Shapiro has been a strong supporter of Harris throughout her campaign and was a final contender as her vice presidential pick. He spoke at the first Harris-Walz joint rally in August, where Harris officially introduced Walz as her running mate.
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