Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has accused former Vice President Kamala Harris of fabricating parts of her post-campaign memoir 107 Days, angrily rejecting passages in the book that portray him as domineering during her vice-presidential selection process.
The allegations surfaced in a profile published by The Atlantic on Wednesday, in which reporter Tim Alberta recounts relaying excerpts from Harris’s book to the governor. According to Alberta, Shapiro reacted with visible anger as he heard the claims attributed to him.
Harris writes that Shapiro attempted to dominate their interview for the role of running mate, allegedly insisting on being “in the room for every decision.” When Alberta presented that account to him, Shapiro bluntly denied it.
“She wrote that in her book?” Shapiro asked. “That’s complete bulls—. I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has accused former Vice President Kamala Harris of fabricating parts of her post-campaign memoir 107 Days, angrily rejecting passages in the book that portray him as domineering during her vice-presidential selection process.
The allegations surfaced in a profile published by The Atlantic on Wednesday, in which reporter Tim Alberta recounts relaying excerpts from Harris’s book to the governor. According to Alberta, Shapiro reacted with visible anger as he heard the claims attributed to him.
Harris writes that Shapiro attempted to dominate their interview for the role of running mate, allegedly insisting on being “in the room for every decision.” When Alberta presented that account to him, Shapiro bluntly denied it.
“She wrote that in her book?” Shapiro asked. “That’s complete bulls—. I can tell you that her accounts are just blatant lies.”
The governor also disputed Harris’s description of questions she attributed to him during the interview process, including inquiries about the living arrangements at the Naval Observatory residence and whether artwork from Pennsylvania could be loaned for display.
Shapiro defended his conduct as reasonable and professional. Anyone would naturally ask questions, he said, “if someone was talking to you about forming a partnership and working together.”
When Alberta pressed him on whether the book’s publication felt like a betrayal, the governor responded sharply before correcting himself.
“I mean, she’s trying to sell books and cover her a–,” he said, before adding: “I shouldn’t say ‘cover her a–.’ I think that’s not appropriate. She’s trying to sell books. Period.”
Passed over as running mate
Harris ultimately chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, passing over Shapiro, whose name had been widely floated in Democratic circles at the time.
In the same interview with Alberta, Shapiro also criticized his own party’s electoral performance in Pennsylvania, which narrowly went to President Trump in the general election. Trump secured just over 50 percent of the vote in the state, compared with Harris’s nearly 49 percent.
“Democrats lost ground in some of these communities by failing to show up and failing to treat people with a level of respect that they deserve,” Shapiro said. “Donald Trump has been a once-in-a-generation political figure who’s managed to connect on a deeper cultural level.”
Previous rift and growing tension
The dispute over Harris’s memoir follows earlier signs of friction between the two figures. In September, Shapiro had publicly criticized Harris for not addressing President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the campaign.
Shapiro was among several Democrats who had questioned Biden’s physical fitness during the race and later said he had raised those concerns directly with party leaders.
“I was direct with them,” he told commentator Stephen A. Smith on SiriusXM. “I told them my concerns.”
At that time, he said he had not yet read 107 Days.
Memoir draws broader backlash
Shapiro is not the only Democrat to challenge Harris’s account.
The book also drew a critical response from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg after Harris described him as her “first choice” for vice president but said their pairing would have been “too risky.” Buttigieg later said he was “surprised” to read that characterization.
In another passage, Harris recounts contacting California Governor Gavin Newsom for an endorsement after Biden exited the race. According to her account, he replied in a text message, “Hiking. Will call back,” and did not return her call.
Newsom disputed that portrayal in an interview with NBC News in October.
“And I sent out an endorsement a few minutes after [my text] as one of her first endorsements,” he said. “I’ve known Kamala all my life. The last person she needs an endorsement from is me.”
Looking ahead
Shapiro, Harris, Buttigieg and Newsom are now all viewed as potential contenders in the Democratic field for the 2028 presidential contest, setting the stage for what could become a long and politically charged primary cycle.
Harris’s memoir, intended as an account of her shortened campaign, has instead reopened internal wounds within the party — exposing disagreements not just over strategy, but over trust and credibility among its most prominent figures.
THE THIRD FORCE
Reference: The Hill, Various Sources
