Gov. Josh Shapiro is wrapping up his second year as Pennsylvania’s chief executive with a solid approval rating and a fresh national profile that has him at the top of many forecasters’ lists for the 2028 Democratic presidential candidates.
This year, Shapiro became one of the key surrogates of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and was briefly a potential vice presidential candidate.
Fewer bills were passed in Harrisburg in the current session than any in the past decade, and much of Shapiro’s agenda remains aspirational — in part because of a divided Legislature.
And while he ultimately wasn’t chosen to be Kamala Harris’ running mate, Shapiro remained popular all year round.
Here are the top five stories from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s 2024 administration, compiled by the Capital-Star team:
When President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid in July, the Democratic Party quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris as its presidential candidate. However, one question remains: who will be her running mate?
Several candidates have emerged who could potentially fit the ticket, including Shapiro. Before Harris’ announcement Shapiro has not said whether he is interested being ticketed, calling it a “personal decision” for Harris. But it sure looked like he was auditions for this role.
During the short-lived raids, some Pennsylvania Democrats actively campaigned for Shapiro, including: Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s video leaked before an announcement that seemed to suggest he would be the one chosen. However, not everyone supported Shapiro’s potential addition, with some criticizing his candidacy place on school vouchers and him The office is investigating a case of sexual harassment by former general counsel.
After Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro thanked her for her attention and praised her choice, assuring Democrats he would campaign for the ticket. He even opened up to Harris and Walz during their set first joint rally at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. He told the audience he loved being governor of Pennsylvania.
The morning after Biden’s disastrous June debate Shapiro ran for president during separate appearances on MSNBC and CNN and did not join calls from some in his own party for Biden to step down.
Shapiro frequently campaigned in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, endorsing Democrats on the ballot. He was one of prominent deputies dynamic in the spin room following the presidential debate in Philadelphia between Harris and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and spoke at the headquarters the last rally the night before the election in the City of Brotherly Love.
Shapiro visited several key swing states, including (*5*)Georgia AND Wisconsinwhile campaigning for candidates across the commonwealth in various races US Chamber down Pennsylvania General Assembly.
While Trump won the Keystone State and the White House’s 19 electoral votes, jockeying has already started for 2028 presidential race, and Shapiro’s name is often mentioned as one of the Democratic contenders.
Shapiro was one of the most dynamic members of the Democratic Party at its national convention in Chicago. Was present at breakfasts of various state delegations and made the rounds across media outlets across the country.
He also delivered a prime-time speech at the convention, centering his message around Democrats being the “party of true freedom.”
“That kind of true freedom comes when a child has a great public school with a great teacher because we believe in their future. True freedom comes when we invest in policing and the community so that a child can safely walk to and from school and come home to their mother. The true freedom that comes when she can join a union, marry the person she loves, raise a family on her own terms, breathe tidy air and drink tidy water, worship as she wants and live purposefully where she is respected for it, who is . True freedom that comes when he looks at the President and knows that this is a nation where everything is possible.
While SEPTA has sounded the alarm all year about its fiscal challenges, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has been unable to reach an agreement to provide the funds the agency requested to prevent ticket price increases. As a result SEPTA officials announced the proposal in November this would escalate ticket prices by more than 20% and reduce services without state intervention.
Shapiro insisted he “won’t let SEPTA fail.” and responded to calls from transportation advocates to provide $153 million to federal highway funds stop SEPTA’s “death spiral” and avoid proposed fare increases and service cuts.
Allocating SEPTA money is still not a long-term solution for the transit agency. Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly are committed to finding a solution to the mass transit funding problem in 2025.
Shapiro remained a Biden ally throughout his time in public office, but sharply criticized the president for his decision to commute the sentence of former Luzerne County Judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted in the trial The “Babies for Cash” scandal..
Answering a question during a press conference on the street named after Biden, Shapiro said the president was ‘totally wrong’ in easing Conahan’s sentence, calling the Kids for Cash scandal not only a “black eye on the community” but also that it affected families in a “truly deep, profound and sad way.”
His public rebuke of Biden made headlines in Pennsylvania and the US apart from.
YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.
