Contrary to popular myth, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro did not start his career on the staff of Snow White. Word has it they’re all hard-working Republicans. They even whistle while they work.
Prior to taking up residence in the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion in 2023, the Democrat presidential hopeful was the state’s attorney general. Before that, he served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
All that and a bag of donuts won’t get you the presidency, however. You need more. To some extent, Shapiro has “more,” and that’s what makes Republican strategists a little nervous these days.
He’s a strong speaker, very intelligent, sharp on his feet, and he has excellent political instincts. As he continues to work on making himself look and sound presidential, he has the tools.
It’s been a long time, since 2008 to be exact, that the Democrat party was able to field a newcomer presidential candidate who had a combination of Shapiro's level of intelligence and oratory skills to go toe-to-toe with a Republican candidate. (Obama v. Romney doesn’t count, since Obama was no newcomer by then).
Let’s face it, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris couldn’t combine their IQ scores and come up with triple digits. While Biden could remember his lies and weave a tapestry of propaganda pretty well in his younger days, the Biden who won the presidency wasn’t that. And Harris’s word salads were the stuff of legend.
Hillary Clinton, though articulate, could not help herself with her oratory because she compulsively and consistently demeaned and insulted the very people she needed to win.
Looking ahead to 2028 with Shapiro in mind, there are many reasons for a Democrat strategist to feel optimistic, and a few skeletons and challenges in Shapiro’s political closet to give Republican strategists hope.
But there is one thing Shapiro can’t change that would likely be a major liability for him as he gets set to throw his hat in the ring – he’s very short.
I had no idea Josh Shapiro was so short pic.twitter.com/9FyOSOKO1t
— Han Shawnity 🇺🇸 (@HanShawnity) August 6, 2024
There are numerous studies that almost unanimously conclude that height is a major factor in how humans choose their leaders, particularly their male leaders. One from Nancy M. Blaker, Irene Rompa, et al. in 2013 stated:
Research suggests that tall individuals have an advantage over short individuals in terms of status, prestige, and leadership, though it is not clear why. Applying an evolutionary psychology perspective, we predicted that taller individuals are seen as more leader-like because they are perceived as more dominant, healthy, and intelligent. Being fit and physically imposing were arguably important leadership qualities in ancestral human environments—perhaps especially for males—where being a leader entailed considerable physical risks.
If you go by numerous news articles that mention Shapiro’s height, he’s 5’9”, but photos of him tell a different story.
Josh Shapiro’s reported height: 6’0”
— Owen Gregorian (@OwenGregorian) August 3, 2024
Gisele Fetterman’s reported height: 5’6” pic.twitter.com/DDixPrbELj
Whether he’s 5’3” or 5’6”, the fact that he seems to be under 5’7” is a political liability for him. For a man who wants to stand on a debate stage and take on a JD Vance or a Marco Rubio, Shapiro’s height, or lack of it, is a very real challenge. If he tries to overcompensate on that stage by wearing certain shoes or inserting lifts in his shoes, social media will destroy him.
Of course, as a Democrat, he’ll get his share of help from the media. He’s also got a very good team of handlers who know how to curate his media coverage. Yes, “curate” is the word. The media that covers Shapiro on a routine basis takes its lead from the Shapiro camp.
That’s why you almost never see him standing next to people who are taller than him. Shapiro’s team makes sure that he’s surrounded by short people at staged events. They make sure to feature taller people at a distance (to the side and the back) so that he doesn’t look as small.
Shapiro’s team is particularly adept at making sure news media cameras shoot Shapiro at eye level or from below, creating the illusion that he’s taller than he is. Just see the photograph at the top of this article as an example. And whenever given the opportunity to have him photographed while seated, they’ll make sure the height of the seat is set so that much of his torso is visible, further creating the illusion that he’s tall.
Hollywood has had to deal with this issue for decades for some of its biggest stars. In the process, it’s pioneered all the tricks that any image consultant would consider for a pint-sized potential presidential candidate. Robert Downey, Jr. is famous for his shoes.
Fun fact number 9: Gwyneth Paltrow is noticeably barefoot in all of her scenes in Stark Tower, while Robert Downey Jr. is in three or four inch platform shoes, so he look taller than her. #TheAvengers #MCU #MarvelStudios #TheGeekyCast #CouncilOfGeeks pic.twitter.com/A2WnZsZUjf
— Comicnerdgamer91 (@NerdGamer91) September 12, 2024
In certain movies, Robert De Niro has taken the shoe thing to extremes.
Why does Robert De Niro wear these shoes? pic.twitter.com/UiPZm5loFK
— Leo Kearse - see me on tour! Links in bio (@LeoKearse) February 12, 2025
Thankfully for actors, they can insist that the camera only shoot from the waist up. But in politics and in real-life situations, it’s not so easily controlled. The campaign trail can be brutal to image-makers when your favorite diminutive candidate has to go to a state fair and be photographed in the wild.
The wrong photograph or video can undo a lot of hard work and careful calculations for Shapiro’s handlers. To be sure, since he is a Democrat, the chances of the wrong photograph seeing the light of day are much less than if he were a Republican, but nothing is foolproof.
Republican strategists will have their own work cut out for them on this. They’d be crazy not to try to take advantage of a height advantage. If I were them, if it ever gets to the point where Shapiro would get to that general election debate stage, I’d make sure the two candidates were standing as close to each other on stage as possible. I’d insist that no “booster” steps are allowed behind the podiums. And I’d want the lectern part of the podium to be as high as possible.
As for Shapiro's opponent actually talking about the height issue, that can backfire. You don't need voters finding victim appeal in the Democrat candidate. Instead, let the non-verbals do the talking. They're more powerful anyway. And in the hands of conservative meme-makers, the Republican candidate doesn't have to say a thing. Just make sure to have a rapid response social media team at the ready to make the visuals the Democrats don’t want the public to see go viral.
Related: Will Josh Shapiro Sign a Bill Into Law That Boldly Resurrects Transgenderism?
