HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) 鈥� Pennsylvania Gov. is running for a second term in the pivotal battleground state after a first term that put him on the Democratic Party鈥檚 radar as a potential presidential contender in 2028.
He made the formal announcement Thursday at an event at a carpenters’ union hall in Pittsburgh and, later, at a similar event in Philadelphia. Shapiro’s announcement demonstrated a unified party behind him 鈥� including introductions by the state party chair, labor leaders and top local Democratic officials 鈥� as he ticked off his accomplishments during a nearly 30-minute speech.
Shapiro warned that his opponents promise 鈥渄arkness and division and extremism,鈥� and 鈥� without mentioning President Donald Trump by name 鈥� he slammed the 鈥渃haos and toxicity鈥� emanating from Washington, D.C., that he said threatened livelihoods, rights and freedoms.
鈥淓very step of the way, I鈥檝e stood up for my fellow Pennsylvanians, sometimes in a court of law and other times simply refusing to back down, refusing to cast certain Pennsylvanians aside and always by speaking truth to power,鈥� Shapiro said.
He added, 鈥淚 will not let anyone mess with Pennsylvania and I will always have your backs.鈥�
Although Shapiro hasn鈥檛 disclosed any ambitions for higher office, his reelection effort will be closely watched as another test of whether he鈥檚 White House material.
Ever since he won the governor’s office in a near-landslide , Shapiro has been mentioned alongside Democratic contemporaries like California Gov. , Illinois Gov. , Maryland Gov. and others as
Shapiro, 52, has already made rounds outside Pennsylvania. Last year, he campaigned for Democrats running for governor in and , and he’s a frequent guest on Sunday talk shows that can shape the country’s political conversation.
He was also considered as a potential running mate for Kamala Harris in 2024. She Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead.
A pivotal first term as governor
Shapiro’s first term repeatedly put him in the spotlight.
He was governor when Pennsylvania was the site of the of Trump; the capture of for allegedly killing United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson; and the murder of in the state鈥檚 deadliest day for law enforcement since 2009.
Last year, an tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governor’s official residence in the middle of the night. Shapiro had to flee with his wife, children and members of his extended family, and the attack made him a on the nation鈥檚 recent spate of political violence.
As Shapiro settled into the governor’s office, he shed his buttoned-down public demeanor and became more plain-spoken.
He pushed to of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, debuting his 鈥� 鈥済et s鈥�- done鈥� 鈥� at a ceremony for the completed project.
He to support a Republican-backed voucher program, causing friction with Democratic lawmakers and allies in the state.
Shapiro regularly plays up the need for in a state with a politically divided Legislature, and positions himself as in a state that produces the most natural gas after Texas.
He’s rubbed elbows with corporate executives who are as a and thrust Pennsylvania for billions of dollars being spent on , manufacturing and
A repeat winner in competitive territory
Shapiro has enjoyed robust public approval ratings and carries a reputation as and . For 2026, Pennsylvania’s Republican Party endorsed , the twice-elected state treasurer, to challenge Shapiro.
Garrity has campaigned around Pennsylvania and spoken at numerous Trump rallies in the battleground state, but she is untested as a fundraiser and will have to contend with her relatively low profile as compared to Shapiro.
Shapiro, meanwhile, keeps a busy public schedule and has gone out of his way to appear at high-profile, non-political events like football games, a and onstage at a Roots concert in Philadelphia.
He is a regular on TV political shows, podcasts and local sports radio shows, and became a leading pro-Israel voice among Democrats and Jewish politicians amid the Israel-Hamas war, confronting divisions within the Democratic Party over the war.
He has tempered it with calls for more aid for Gaza’s residents and criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s , but some activists argued against him being the party’s nominee for vice president in 2024.
Harris, in her recent book, wrote that she passed on Shapiro after determining that he wouldn’t be a good fit for the role.
Shapiro, she wrote, 鈥渕used that he would want to be in the room for every decision,鈥� and she 鈥渉ad a nagging concern that he would be unable to settle for a role as number two and that it would wear on our partnership.鈥� Shapiro disputed the characterization.
An audition on the 2026 campaign trail
In a September appearance on NBC 海角社区app’ 鈥淢eet the Press,鈥� the host, Kristen Welker, asked him whether he’d commit to serving a full second term as governor and whether he’d rule out running for president in 2028.
鈥淚鈥檓 focused on doing my work here,鈥� he said, sidestepping the questions.
His supposed White House aspirations 鈥� which he’s never actually admitted to in public 鈥� are also mentioned frequently by Garrity.
鈥淲e need somebody that is more interested in Pennsylvania and not on Pennsylvania Avenue,鈥� Garrity said recently on a radio show in Philadelphia. On Thursday, the Republican Governors Association accused Shapiro of being 鈥渕ore focused on his political ambitions鈥� than leading Pennsylvania.
For his part, Shapiro criticizes Garrity as too eager to get Trump’s endorsement to be an effective advocate for Pennsylvania.
In any case, the campaign trail could afford Shapiro an opportunity to audition for a White House run.
For one thing, Shapiro has been unafraid to criticize Trump, even in a swing state won by Trump in 2024. As governor, Shapiro has joined or filed more than a dozen lawsuits against Trump’s administration, primarily for holding up funding to states.
He has lambasted Trump’s tariffs as 鈥渞eckless鈥� and 鈥渄angerous,鈥� Trump’s threats to as an 鈥渁ttempt to stifle dissent鈥� and Trump’s as failing the 鈥渓eadership test鈥� and 鈥渕aking everyone less safe.鈥�
Many of Shapiro鈥檚 would-be competitors in a won鈥檛 have to run for office before then.
海角社区appom is term-limited, for instance. Others 鈥� like ex-Transportation Secretary 鈥� aren’t in public office. A couple of other governors in the 2028 conversation 鈥� Moore and Pritzker 鈥� are running for reelection this year.
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