April 1, 2026/midnight
Erie, Pa. — Last night, the Jefferson Education Society (JES) hosted Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro in a sit–down event highlighting the release of his memoir, “Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service,” published back in January. The talk, moderated by Steve Scully, consisted of themes surrounding Shapiro’s life, including his faith, family, and duties as a public servant.
Before the event, Shapiro showed his support for Gannon’s men’s basketball team, who headed to the Division II NCAA Finals, in Indianapolis, this week. He stepped onto the Highmark court during practice; shooting some baskets with the team.
Later, Shapiro emphasized how important Erie has been in his public service career, citing his work on the notable investigation of child sex abuse within Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic churches during his time as attorney general and the time he spent here in 2021 while campaigning before being elected as the 49th governor of the Commonwealth in 2022.
During the talk, Shapiro mentioned how honored he is to be the Governor of Pennsylvania during the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding. The state of Pennsylvania played pivotal role in the Founding Fathers’ quest for independence from Great Britain, as the Articles of Confederation, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were all written and ratified here.
Several other prominent figures came out for the event, including former PA Governor Tom Ridge. Shapiro calls Ridge an “American hero” and model for his own leadership style.
A topic Shapiro touched on during the night was the arson attack on the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg in April of last year, in which a man armed with Molotov cocktails set the residence in flames, causing severe damage to the structure built in 1968.
Scully asked Shapiro if he believed his Jewish faith was to blame for the attack, to which Shapiro replied, “I don’t know, but it was something that crossed my mind in that moment.”
However, Shapiro says the most important thing at the time was getting his family to safety, including his wife Lori and their four children, who were asleep in the residence after celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Other topics mentioned were Shapiro’s thoughts on AI, the state of education in the Commonwealth and the Trump administration’s push to pass the SAVE Act. To this, the governor said, “What you’re seeing from President Trump with this SAVE Act is the act of suppressing the vote of certain people.”
Shapiro made it clear that he is open to the idea of voter ID in Pennsylvania. However, he believes the SAVE Act is unconstitutional and should be a nonpartisan issue determined by the state, not the federal government.
“We will protect the people’s right to vote,” Shapiro states.
Regarding last year’s presidential election, Shapiro briefly touched on his decision to withdraw from the vice–presidential selection process, despite being a top candidate for the primary Democratic nominee, former Vice President Kamala Harris.
“It was not the right moment for me to serve in that capacity,” Shapiro says, remembering the decision. The governor credits his youngest son for helping him come to this conclusion. He believes he can contribute to public service the best with his role as governor.
To conclude the event, Scully surveyed Shapiro with the written questions posed by audience members. The biggest talking point Shapiro left the audience with was the meaning of freedom and the importance of civic engagement saying, “I think that’s what is needed more in our society today than ever before.”
Governor Shapiro’s stop in Erie is part of a greater campaign, not only to promote his book, but also to stay in the public sphere, as he will be on the ballot again in the general elections this November 3.
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