In 2007, a Pennsylvania state representative named Josh Shapiro broke with much of the Democratic establishment to back for president a first-term senator from Illinois named Barack Obama.
Mr. Obama, who lost Pennsylvania’s 2008 primary to Hillary Clinton but won the presidency, did not forget it.
Over the nearly two decades since that early endorsement, Mr. Shapiro and Mr. Obama remained in touch, developing a connection that is closer than is commonly understood, according to interviews with people who know them both.
Now, Mr. Shapiro is a popular governor in a crucial battleground state who could join a presidential ticket himself, as Vice President Kamala Harris, another early Obama supporter, weighs her running-mate options.
The relationship between the two men offers a window into the instincts and influences of one of Ms. Harris’s top choices.
Persons:
Josh Shapiro, Barack Obama, Mr, Obama, Hillary Clinton, Shapiro, Kamala Harris
Organizations:
Democratic
Locations:
Pennsylvania, Illinois