Josh Shapiro defends Democrats' perceived problem with DNC messaging: 'I respectfully disagree'

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday dismissed critics who have taken issue with the Democratic Party's message of "hope and change" despite President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris having occupied the White House for the past three-and-a-half years.

Shapiro joined "Special Report" live from the Democratic National Convention in Chicago ahead of his address later in the evening. 

Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier noted that Barack and Michelle Obama, who headlined Tuesday's proceedings, struck a tone of "hope" and encouraged voters to change the trajectory of the country's leadership at the ballot box in November.

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"I mean, we have three-and-a-half years of a Biden-Harris administration," Baier pointed out. "So that message of change and a new thing, is that just overlooking the Biden-Harris three-and-a-half years?"

Shapiro, who had been considered a top contender to be Harris' running mate, brushed off the alleged inconsistency, touting the administration's efforts on energy independence and job growth. Still, he conceded there is more that needs to be done.

"We have made progress," he said. "We've got a ways to go, we've got more work to do, and as Kamala Harris continues her campaign, she will continue to lay out that vision for not just hope, but meaningful change for people."

Baier pressed: "But is it a delicate dance to say this is hope, this is… change, even though you have a Democratic president who kind of was pushed out over the past weeks?" 

He noted that some Democrats have also expressed reservations about using that line of messaging.

"I would respectfully disagree with you," Shapiro replied. "I mean this respectfully, of course. I think what Joe Biden did was really patriotic. He understood that in every chapter of our American story, Americans have written those chapters, then passed the marker to the next generation to continue that work. He did that work here in passing the torch to Kamala Harris — passing the marker, if you will, to Kamala Harris to write that next chapter. So I would respectfully disagree. I think what he did was really patriotic."

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CNN conservative commentator Scott Jennings went viral after confronting Democrats with the same question Tuesday as liberal pundits heaped praise on the Obamas for their remarks.

"The gap that I still see in all of these speeches, as good as they were, is that she's in the White House right now. Democrats have controlled the White House for 12 of the last 16 years," Jennings said on CNN.

"For all of the talk about division and the problems in the country and people are hurting, Democrats have mostly controlled this country... and somehow it's still all [former President] Trump's fault, and somehow she hasn't been at the center of it," he continued. 

"So to me, that's still the glaring hole in this campaign that hasn't yet been solved at this convention."

Since President Biden announced his withdrawal from the 2024 race, Harris has enjoyed a deluge of positive media coverage and her approval numbers have surged.

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A recent Associated Press-NORC poll found that 48% of Americans have a very or somewhat favorable view of Harris, up from 39% earlier this summer. 

Fox News Digital's Kristine Parks contributed to this report.