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.
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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.
