“As usual, it seems like it’s coming down to the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It may be that the only thing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump agree on is that, as Pennsylvania goes, so is likely the future of our commonwealth, and dare I say, the future of the world,” Shapiro told an intimate group of small-business owners in Pittsburgh on Friday.

Shapiro has been a key asset for Harris in the final push to win over the Keystone State as the campaign nears an end despite the fact he was passed over as her running mate in favor of Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN).

But in his address to Harris supporters in the state, Shapiro repeatedly framed Harris as the only candidate who could be a strong “partner in the White House” whom he could count on to support Pennsylvania, particularly its economic needs. 

“I want a serious person in the White House, who knows how to do this work, someone to who I can call and say, ‘Hey, Pittsburgh needs this,’ and who just understands the importance of Pittsburgh and our commonwealth, understands our local economy, and wants to invest here,” Shapiro said. 

Pennsylvania is a pivotal state in this presidential election, with 19 Electoral College votes, the most of any swing state. It has been the keystone of the 2024 election cycle for Harris and former President Donald Trump. 

Republican political strategists have highlighted that picking Walz could be the greatest mistake of the Harris campaign, considering that Shapiro is one of the most talented Democratic figures in contemporary politics. 

A late October poll of Pennsylvania voters from Echelon Insights found that Trump leads Harris in the state by a 5-point margin, 51 to 46, but the gap significantly narrowed when respondents were asked if their preference would change if Shapiro was on the Democratic ticket. 

If Shapiro were Harris’s vice presidential pick, Trump’s lead in the Keystone State would shrink to 50-48, well within the 4.5-percentage point margin of error. 

When reporters asked Shapiro about poll numbers, the governor said that “it always comes down to the margins in Pennsylvania.”

“Everybody’s freaking out about a poll that says it’s even or one candidate’s up 1 or down 1,” Shapiro said, noting that the last two presidential races have been decided by very thin margins. “So, of course, our polls are going to show it as basically a jump ball.”

It’s the tech economy, stupid

Shapiro’s speech, hosted at the Duolingo headquarters in the gentrified Pittsburgh neighborhood of East Liberty, revolved around the importance of small businesses, particularly the up-and-coming technology firms that have revitalized the city’s economy.

While Trump’s strategy in Western Pennsylvania has largely played into its historic role as the center of heavy industry, Shapiro highlighted the role of the thriving technological industry in Pittsburgh that has largely supplanted steel.

Shapiro told reporters that the Pennsylvania economy is strong “despite Donald Trump’s past actions,” referencing tariffs in particular that he said “are going to really harm the economy here in Southwestern Pennsylvania.”

Shapiro told reporters after the event that he believes Trump is “just clearly out of touch with our economic needs and issues” in the Keystone State.

“I think he actually doesn’t understand the changing economy here in Southwestern Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “I don’t think he understands AI and robotics and the promise that holds for this region.” 

Luis von Ahn, CEO and co-founder of the language learning company Duolingo, introduced Shapiro and praised Harris’s small-business plan.

“I actually believe she will be much better for the economy,” von Ahn said, focusing on her small-business credentials, including her goal of getting 25 million new business applications and dramatically increasing the startup expense deduction. “The backbone of America is people starting companies, and she has a very comprehensive plan for that.”

The economics-laden speech comes on the heels of a dismal jobs report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed the economy added just 12,000 jobs in October when analysts had predicted job growth would be closer to 108,000.

The report, the last scheduled before Election Day next week, is the worst since the economic decline during the pandemic, with the private sector losing 28,000 jobs. 

Shapiro did not reference the jobs report but was optimistic that Harris would deliver a stronger economy for Pennsylvania than Trump. 

“I worry if this guy is put in charge of our economy,” Shapiro said of Trump. “I worry about the damage that he’ll do to Pennsylvania. I need a partner who wants to invest in Pennsylvania workers, invest in our businesses. And I think Donald Trump doesn’t get it. And I just simply don’t think he’s up for the job this time.”