Josh Shapiro is more popular in Pa. than Kamala Harris, Donald Trump — and even Taylor Swift

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro remains the most popular government official in the critical battleground state, receiving a higher favorability rating than Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump — and even Pennsylvania’s own superstar Taylor Swift, according to a new poll of likely voters published Thursday by The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times, and Siena College.

Shapiro remains an unusually popular first-term Democratic governor in one of the most important states in the presidential election, who has been making a national brand for himself as a moderate willing to work across the aisle. And his popularity helped make him a top contender for Harris’ running mate before she ultimately chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her No. 2.

Approximately 59% of likely Pennsylvania voters “strongly approve” or “somewhat approve” of Shapiro’s leadership as the commonwealth’s governor in the months since he was a front-runner to be Harris’ vice presidential pick.

Shapiro’s high approval ratings outpace the favorability ratings of Harris (51%), Trump (45%), and Swift (46%), who endorsed Harris following last week’s presidential debate in Philadelphia. Job approval ratings are usually lower than favorability ratings, meaning the number of voters who like Shapiro personally could be higher than those who approve of the job he’s doing as governor.

A third of likely Trump voters still hold a favorable view of Shapiro, according to the poll conducted by phone of 1,082 likely voters from Sept. 11 through Sept. 16. Shapiro held a similar approval rating among Trump supporters in a May poll by The Philadelphia Inquirer, New York Times and Siena College.

Swift, for her part, is not a politician. But she was a divisive figure in the poll, and her political impact is widely watched. (Shapiro is a Swiftie and he said last year after Swift performed her Eras Tour in Pittsburgh that his favorite song is “Never Grow Up.”)

After Harris selected Walz as her vice presidential pick, some pundits questioned whether she should have chosen Shapiro because of his bipartisan appeal and his position as the top official in one of the most important swing states.

Pennsylvania last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 2016. Meanwhile, it’s been more than 50 years since deep-blue Minnesota voted for one. Even in 1984, when 49 states voted for former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, Minnesota still voted blue (albeit for Minnesota native Walter Mondale).

Nate Silver, who founded political polling publication FiveThirtyEight, wrote on his Substack earlier this month that Harris “blew one big opportunity to tack the center with her selection of Tim Walz rather than Josh Shapiro.” And local Republicans celebrated after Harris passed over Shapiro for the job.

Thursday’s Philadelphia Inquirer/New York Times/Siena College poll shows Shapiro remains well-liked in Pennsylvania, despite his weeks in the national spotlight that made him the most-scrutinized veepstakes contender.

Stephen Sutton, 78, a registered Republican who lives in Upper Bucks County and participated in the poll, is supporting Trump in the upcoming election, but said he believes Shapiro is doing an OK job as governor.

“He’s doing a decent job,” Sutton said. “He’s working across the aisle. I was pleased with the way he handled the I-95 situation. He got in there and cut the red tape. And so you know, I know it can be done.”

If Harris had chosen Shapiro as her running mate, it wouldn’t have changed Sutton’s mind about voting for Trump, he added, because any vice president would be a “smoke screen.”

“If I really thought she was picking somebody that was going to do some good and have input, then I might have a different take,” he added.

Lisa Crosier, 58, of Washington, said she plans to support Trump in November, but said she thinks Shapiro is doing a good job leading the state.

“Kamala Harris missed an opportunity,” Crosier added. “She should have picked him... Shapiro is much more of an impressive person.”

But even if Harris picked Shapiro for her vice president, Crosier also said it would not have changed her mind about who she will vote for in November.

“I don’t think she’s the right person for the job,” she added.

The Harris campaign has not been shy about leveraging the governor’s popularity as a campaign surrogate. Shapiro was tapped to kick off a “reproductive freedom” bus tour across Pennsylvania, and has made the rounds on CNN’s State of the Union and Fox News Sunday. He also made a prime time speech before the Democratic National Convention last month, was one of Harris’ supporters in the spin room following the debate, and is expected to be a key surrogate here in the remaining weeks of the presidential campaign.

However, Shapiro maintains that Walz is “the right guy for this job,” and has frequently said a running mate is a “deeply personal decision” for Harris and himself. He loves his job as governor, and has always wanted to be an executive, he added.

“I love what I do,” Shapiro said after the conclusion of the veepstakes. “I love that I get to do it on my terms.”

Camille Baker of the New York Times contributed to this article.