It’s official.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Thursday morning, he launched his re-election campaign with a video highlighting his achievements during his first term.
“Across the Commonwealth, we’ve done a lot to really make a difference in people’s lives. As governor, I’m stopping the federal government from getting between you and your doctor. I’m standing up to parents who should be making decisions about their children’s health care, not politicians. I’m locking them down when they try to suppress our votes and overturn fair elections,” Shapiro said. “Even with a divided state legislature – together – we have done a lot on issues that have been stalled for decades. But there is always more to do – more people to help, more Pennsylvanians to protect, more bridges to build. We are moving our Commonwealth forward. So join me and let’s keep doing our part.”
Shapiro will run with again Lt. Governor Austin Davis.
“The past year has been marked by reckless decisions, crisis after crisis, and fear and dysfunction used as political weapons,” Davis says. “But here in Pennsylvania, we have chosen a different path. We have chosen progress over partisanship, compassion over division, and effective solutions above all else. We have shown leadership that expands opportunity, not limits it. Leadership that fights with hope, not fear. I am proud to stand alongside Governor Shapiro as we announce our re-election campaigns. This is a leadership team that is getting things done.”
Shapiro beat state Senator Doug Mastrian (R-Adams/Franklin) by an 800,000-vote majority in 2022. Mastriano announced Wednesday that he will not run for the GOP nomination in 2026, essentially opening the field to State Treasurer Stacy Garritywho has already received the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Republican Party for the nomination.
“Stacy Garrity is a far-right, toxic candidate who is trying to bring Trump’s chaotic agenda from Washington here to Pennsylvania,” said the chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party Eugene DePasquale. “She supported cutting health care to pay for tax cuts for billionaires, opposed tax cuts for working families here in Pennsylvania, and attacked our basic freedoms. It is clear that Republicans will once again be stuck in 2026 with a fringe candidate pursuing a toxic agenda.”
The 2026 race will decide whether Shapiro can build on his case to be the Democratic Party’s best candidate for president in 2028 – by winning the governor’s race in the nation’s most vital swing state. Can he provide cloaks for House of Representatives challengers like Bob Brooks in PA-07, Paige Cognetti in PA-08 i Janelle Stelson in PA-10 to assist reverse the chamber’s majority could also strengthen his claims.
“Politically, Josh’s victory is very key to what will happen politically in the commonwealth and in the country,” Philadelphia-based public affairs director Larry Ceisler he said.
Shapiro (52) has never lost a political race and his ratings in the state remain extremely high – that’s why he was on the shortlist of candidates Kamala Harris running mate in 2024
Ally President Donald TrumpDuring her five years in office, Garrity established herself as a champion of the people. He praises the Treasury’s success in returning hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unclaimed state-owned property to its rightful owners and in expanding access to educational savings programs.
Garrity’s campaign aims to show that while Shapiro enjoys broad approval, he relies on a carefully crafted public image. Voters will change their minds when they see beneath the surface, Republican strategists say.
“It’s a mile wide and an inch deep,” Garrity campaign spokesman Matt Benyon told the Capital-Star. “There’s very little intensity to it. It gives us the opportunity to tell the other side of the story.”
Spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Republican Party James Markley said the Republican Party would attack Shapiro over what it said was a lack of transparency surrounding the Legislative Secretary’s resignation Mike Vereb in connection with the sexual harassment scandal that led to a settlement with Vereba’s accuser for $295,000.
“If he has nothing to hide, why is he fighting so hard to block all this information from being made public?” Markley said.
