Progressives certainly lobbied Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro hard and are now celebrating the victory of bigotry over principle.

How did Shapiro's Jewish identity affect his being overlooked as Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate? We may never know the answer for sure, as we have no way of knowing how Harris' mind works. But on paper, it seems clear to many that Shapiro would have been the obvious choice to help Harris's election prospects.

He was, after all, the most popular governor; Critical Condition On the Democratic electoral map, Shapiro is more moderate than Harris, which could broaden Harris' base and attract more independents and moderates. Many knowledgeable observers believe that if Shapiro's name had been, say, Jim Shepard rather than Josh Shapiro, he would have been elected. (RELATED: VP Kamala Harris ignores support from major donors)

But woke progressives have launched a campaign against him, focusing on his Zionism, his support for Israel, and his opposition to the protests since October 7. In these respects, he is no different from the other candidates. Governor Tim Walz In fact, to appease anti-Israel progressives, Shapiro went out of his way to exaggerate his criticism of Netanyahu. Call Him “One of the worst leaders of all time”

No rational critic of Netanyahu would put him in the same category as past leaders like Stalin, Castro or Arafat. Shapiro also claims he was young and appears to have apologized on Israel's behalf for his teenage actions. None of these attempts to pander to the far left have worked.

Some defenders of Harris' selection argue that it is about the expected anti-Israel protests at the Chicago convention, which they believe would have been exacerbated by the selection of a Jewish vice presidential candidate, and that the selection of Walz would help quell those protests. (Related article: Former Clinton adviser “disappointed” in Harris' VP pick, seen as a sign of “left” “control” of Harris' administration)

Whatever the exact reason, Shapiro's veto was a victory for the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic wing of the Democratic Party's progressive left and a defeat for moderates who had hoped to broaden Harris' base.

In that respect, it was a mirror image of what many believe to be former President Donald Trump's mistake in choosing Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio as his running mate. Instead of choosing a more centrist figure who might attract the moderates who voted for former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, Trump doubled down on his efforts to appeal to the right wing of the Republican Party. The possibility that this choice would hurt him in the general election did not seem to affect Trump.

Both presidential candidates chose running mates who moved away from the center and closer to the extreme wings of their parties, with the big loss being the majority of Americans who are moderate and support centrist policies.

The difference is the feeling among moderate Democrats that Shapiro's religion may have played a role in his rejection. For some, that will be the deciding factor: They cannot afford to vote for a presidential candidate who has succumbed to woke progressive prejudice, such as not wanting a Jewish Zionist on his roster. For those who suspect but are not sure that Shapiro's religious affiliation may have been a disqualifying factor in his rejection, the issue is murkier, but still a concern.

Either way, there's absolutely no question that there are forces on the progressive left of the Democratic Party who don't want Shapiro as the candidate because he's perceived as a Jewish Zionist. Some of these progressives just hate Jews. Some of them hate Israel. They lobbied hard against Shapiro, and now they're happy.

And there's no doubt that these voices influenced the decision to reject Mr. Shapiro in some way. Exactly how much and what influence is open to debate, as is how open-minded Democrats should evaluate the complex circumstances that led to the decision to reject Mr. Shapiro.

It was a decision to reject Mr. Shapiro. Mr. Walz was chosen, at least in part, because he is not Mr. Shapiro. He may be a good candidate, and seems like a decent person, but he would have had no chance against the equally popular Governor of Pennsylvania, who is not Jewish. That is the sad reality that decent voters must now face.

Alan DershowitzThe latest issue ofThe War on the Jews: How to End Hamas BrutalityStein is a former Speaker of the New York City Council.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.

As an independent, nonpartisan news service, all content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation is available free of charge to any legitimate news publisher with a large readership. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and affiliation with the DCNF. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.