Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro officially launched his widely conjectured re-election bid Thursday morning, marking the start of a campaign that will test the Democrat’s strength in a pivotal presidential battleground state ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Shapiro, a popular moderate Democrat who is often floated as a 2028 presidential contender, drew national attention during the 2024 presidential election cycle when he was reported to have been a top contender for then-Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
He was a key voice in arguing against the fake slate of electors that President Donald Trump and his allies pressured Republicans in the state to sign in an effort to overturn the 2020 election result.
“I’ve shut them down when they try and throw out our votes and overturn fair elections, even with a divided state legislature,” Shapiro said in a video posted on X announcing his campaign. “Together, we’ve gotten a whole lot done.”
In 2023, Shapiro pushed through notable voting reforms in the state, which included a statewide automatic voter registration system.
Before he won Pennsylvania’s 2022 gubernatorial election against Republican Doug Mastriano, Shapiro served as the state’s attorney general.
His re-election campaign is expected to focus on the key issues Democrats across the country will run on this year: affordability, jobs and abortion access, all of which he mentions in his campaign video.
Shapiro boasts a deep war chest. The Democrat raised $30 million in cash last year, $10 million of which came during the final three months of 2025 as speculation about his re-election swirled, according to an announcement from his campaign, Shapiro for Pennsylvania. The amount breaks the national fundraising record for a state-level candidate in an off year.
The Pennsylvania governor touted his first-term accomplishments in the campaign announcement video, which highlighted his swift rebuilding of a collapsed overpass in Northeast Philadelphia, his repeal of a statewide Sunday hunting ban and his signature tax cut legislation. Pittsburgh, an industrial city in Western Pennsylvania and a key campaign city, will serve as the official launchpad for Shapiro’s campaign. He will deliver a speech there this afternoon alongside Lt. Gov. Austin Davis. The pair will then travel to Philadelphia for a speech in the evening. Although no competitive Democratic primary opponents have emerged in the race, Shapiro is expected to face a tough Republican challenger in the general election. State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who has won the backing of the Pennsylvania GOP, mounted a bid for the office last fall. Mastriano announced Wednesday that he would not run in the Republican gubernatorial primary.
Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. Recommended
