The pick is in, and Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Judging by the late surge in betting markets, this was a surprise to everyone watching the spectacle. Harris's last-second pivot to Walz made little sense until you started peeling back the ugly problems: Josh Shapiro is Jewish, and that's a nuisance in the modern Democratic Party.

Shapiro, for his part, did his duty and campaigned for the new ticket in Philadelphia. Towards the end of the speech, hemade a point of addressing his heritage. He told the crowd, "I lean on my family, and I lean on my faith, which calls me to serve." He continued, "''I am proud of my faith,' he said, his voice rising, speaking slowly and deliberately to sustained applause.'"

It was something he felt compelled to say as the nation watched him get passed over for the job he was uniformly seen as the best option. A panel on CNN exemplified the issue. When panelists started claiming Shapiro was somehow unique on the issue of Israel and Gaza, Jake Tapper stepped in to note Shapiro and Walz were similar on that front.

Van Jones went further, claiming it was outright antisemitism in the Democratic Party. He said, "You also have antisemitism that has gotten marbled into this party. You can be for the Palestinians without being an anti-Jewish bigot, but there are some anti-Jewish bigots out there ... And there's some disquiet now – and there has to be – how much of what just happened is caving into some of these darker parts of the party?"

Congressional Democrats saw this, too. Semafor summed up the feeling, noting, "But some also saw little difference in how the two governors approached the Jewish state, and its war with Hamas, and wondered aloud if Shapiro was being singled out for his last name."

Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, a Jewish Democrat told Semafor, "Tim is a great pick, and will reinforce the Vice President's normal, pragmatic approach ... Plus, Tim is funny and we could use a little more joy in all of this. That doesn't mean that some of the pushback against Josh wasn't low key antisemitic. Both things can be true."

Mark Mellman, the chairman of Democratic Majority for Israel, said, "Vice President Harris had a lot of good choices," said Mellman. "She had to pick one. But the level of antisemitic invective around this decision was extraordinary and extremely dangerous. People of good conscience should be condemning that antisemitism."

Does this mean Harris rejected Shapiro for antisemitic reasons? No, that seems unlikely. Reporting was generally clear that she didn't want to be outshone, with local politics of mayors and senators playing into things. There are rumors that Shapiro insulted Harris at some point, though things like that are always hard to source.

Kamala Harris's insecurities are legendary in Washington D.C., so it's not hard to see her wanting someone she believes won't outshine her. It's also not hard to see her not wanting to open the rift in the Democratic Party.

If Harris had named Shapiro, his Jewishness would have made the divides in the Democratic Party over Israel, Gaza, and Jews a front-page issue for the hard-left of the party. On the same day that the antisemitic 'Squad' lost another one of their members in a primary over the issue, Harris would have clashed with her party's left flank.

The irony is that Democratic voters are proving to be similar to mainstream America on the issue of Israel and Jews: overwhelmingly supportive. Clashing with racists in her own party would help build credentials as a more centrist candidate ahead of the general election. But it would also risk Democrats losing Michigan, where the anti-Shapiro sentiment was higher.

Another point is that this likely wasn't all Harris's decision, either. Harris has never has never won a Democratic primary. Democratic Party leadership rammed her through with a shotgun delegate vote process to avoid any convention fights. The Vice Presidential nomination spot was the closest thing to a primary we could get out of Democrats this year, and even in that limited aspect, the antisemitism was immediate.

I'm glad Josh Shapiro is proud of his faith despite all this mess. He can support whoever he wants to in this election. But it's clear the main detraction against him was his Jewishness, from his name down to his faith. Progressives ensured the Harris campaign understood that was a no-go, and her handlers in Democratic leadership were desperate to avoid any more fights.

Instead of running from it, this seems like a fight worth having. Democrats were open to intra-party fighting when it meant getting rid of Biden. That faded when it came time to condemn antisemitism in their ranks.