Josh Shapiro and AOC Are Waging War Over a Midterm Congressional Race with 2028 Implications: Report
Democrats,the article argues,may face a long-running challenge from the party’s internal anti-Israel sentiment into the 2028 election cycle. It claims Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro-seen as a centrist and possible presidential contender-has been trying to stay out of direct conflict with the party’s left while quietly working behind the scenes to prevent a progressive candidate backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) from gaining an advantage in a May 19 Democratic primary in Philadelphia.
Specifically, the piece says Shapiro disapproves of AOC-endorsed candidate Chris Rabb and has encouraged local allies to avoid actions that could inadvertently help Rabb, including urging building trades unions not to run negative ads against another candidate (Ala Stanford) for fear it would benefit Rabb. The article also notes Rabb has criticized Shapiro publicly in the past,which it says would create difficulties for Shapiro if Rabb wins.
it portrays the core tension as a political divide over Israel: Shapiro is described as supportive of Israel, while rabb is described as having previously blamed “zionists” in a disavowed social media post. the article concludes that Shapiro will likely have to deal with this intra-party tension for the next campaign cycle, irrespective of how he manages it publicly.
Democrats face a problem that will likely plague them well into the 2028 election cycle.
Until then, it appears that one prominent Democrat will try to sidestep the problem for as long as possible.
According to Axios, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, widely considered a centrist and a possible 2028 presidential contender, has worked behind the scenes to undermine a progressive congressional candidate supported by Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — another potential 2028 aspirant.
The candidate, Chris Rabb of Philadelphia, has earned AOC’s endorsement in a tight three-way Democratic primary scheduled for May 19.
Meanwhile, three sources close to discussions told Axios that Shapiro not only disapproves of Rabb but has quietly taken steps to ensure that the AOC-approved progressive candidate gains no advantage at the expense of the other two candidates, Sharif Street or Ala Stanford, both regarded as more centrist Democrats like Shapiro.
For instance, Philadelphia’s building trades unions support Street. But Shapiro has urged those unions to refrain from running negative ads against Stanford for fear of inadvertently helping Rabb.
At the same time, the governor must appear neutral if he hopes to avoid alienating his party’s left wing.
To that end, Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder said that “the governor has not endorsed or opposed anyone in this primary — and he looks forward to working directly with whoever wins to win in November. Gov. Shapiro is focused on flipping Republican seats and winning up and down the ballot in November.”
Rabb, however, has a history of vocal criticism toward the governor. In January, the upstart progressive even spoke at a protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which organizers staged outside the first stop on Shapiro’s book tour.
In short, a Rabb victory would saddle Shapiro with a prominent critic inside his own state’s U.S. House delegation.
Eventually, of course, the governor will have to take on his party’s AOC-led left wing. But he appears determined to dictate when and how he will meet that challenge publicly.
At the heart of that impending clash lies the strong anti-Israel sentiment inside the Democratic Party.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, supports Israel, whereas Rabb, in a since-disavowed December social media post, blamed “Zionists” for carrying out an alleged false-flag attack on Australia’s Bondi Beach, where a Dec. 14 Islamic terror attack claimed the lives of 15 people.
On the face of it, Shapiro has qualities that victory-starved Democrats should crave.
In 2022, for instance, he won the governorship of a trending-red swing state by nearly 15 points. Two years later, in the 2024 election, President Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by nearly two points.
But the 2024 election also highlights Shapiro’s problem.
Then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ default presidential nominee, reportedly considered Shapiro as her running mate, only to settle on Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota.
In her 2025 book, “107 Days,” Harris took shots at Shapiro, characterizing him as presumptuous.
For his part, in his 2026 memoir, “Where We Keep the Light,” the governor recalled that during the vetting process, Harris’ team asked if he had worked as “a double agent for Israel” or if he had “ever communicated with an undercover agent of Israel.”
In other words, contrary to Harris’ account, which cited a clash of personalities as the reason she opted against Shapiro as her running mate, the governor’s version of events put the Democratic Party’s anti-Israel sentiment front and center.
In light of Axios’ report, Shapiro will have to deal with that sentiment through 2026 and possibly into 2028.
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