Pennsylvania Congressman Brendan Boyle has a lot on the line in this election. He’s the ranking chair of the powerful House Budget Committee, and if Democrats manage to take back a handful of down-ballot seats, he will become the second-youngest chairman of a committee in history at only 47 years old. That’s one reason I decided to call him up earlier this week for an episode of my podcast, Somebody’s Gotta Win. The other, perhaps more pressing reason, was to find out how Kamala Harris’s anointment is playing in his crucial battleground state, and whether he thinks she can actually win in Pennsylvania—perhaps the one place where Trump cannot afford to lose. We also talked about Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, one of three or so names on Harris’s V.P. shortlist, whether Harris can overcome her past statements on fracking (a major part of the local economy), and much more. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tara Palmeri: So why aren’t you being vetted for V.P.?