Gov. Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania, announced today that he will seek the Democratic Party’s Presidential nomination in 1976. He is the first Jew in American history to formally declare himself a major party candidate for the nation’s highest office. Asked by a reporter if his Jewishness will be a factor, he replied, “No, I don’t believe so, John F. Kennedy broke the religious barrier.”
Shapp, 63, is serving his second term as Governor of Pennsylvania, having been re-elected last year by a majority of more than 300,000 votes, the largest ever given a Democratic Gubernatorial candidate in that state. In connection with his Presidential aspirations, he noted that Pennsylvania is much like a cross-section of the United States. “We have our Bible belts, blue collar areas–a mixture” like much of America. “People are not so concerned about a candidate’s religious background but his understanding of problems,” he said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
