Governor Josh Shapiro has announced that he has launched his reelection bid with a campaign that he believes could be the springboard or a blockade to a future presidential run in 2028.
He highlighted that in the first term he has accomplished plenty including repairing a collapsed bridge in Philadelphia to new tax credits and that he would continue to do so in his second campaign.
A released campaign video revealed that there have been several themes that Democrats will be running in 2026 including the growth of jobs, tackling living costs, and defending the access to abortion. The Governor plans to highlight the stakes for the party during rallies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis.
The upcoming governor’s race will find if Shapiro will be able to push forward his argument for being Democrats 2028 standard-bearer. Within the country’s biggest most important swing state he has been able to win and provide coattails to Democrats.
Within the reelection it is not expected that Shapiro will face a primary challenger. He will most likely face the Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity who will have the support of the state GOP after Mastriano declined to seek a rematch.
“Shapiro has an image of being very clean cut and ‘everybody work together.’ Anything that tarnishes that image could be very effective for voters in Pennsylvania,” said Samuel Chen, a Lehigh Valley-based GOP strategist. “If Garrity dings him hard enough, I guarantee people like [California Gov. Gavin] Newsom and [former Transportation Secretary Pete] Buttigieg are watching this and picking up tidbits they may incorporate in their own campaigns in ‘28.”
His campaign video for reelection can be found here and features images from Erie.