Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro launched his campaign for re-election at a rally in Philadelphia on Jan. 8.
The Thursday rally marked Shapiro’s second public announcement of his candidacy, following a speech earlier that day in Pittsburgh. Shapiro — who serves as an ex officio on Penn’s Board of Trustees — was joined onstage by Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. Austin Davis, as well as a lineup of Philadelphians, labor leaders, and local elected officials.
During his speech, Shapiro laid out policy goals for his second term in office, including raising the minimum wage, protecting reproductive freedom, and producing more clean energy. Shapiro emphasized his bipartisan record and called on Pennsylvanians to reject divisive politics.
“At this time when others want to stoke division, let us commit ourselves to the proposition that no American is my enemy and every American is a partner in the greatest experiment in human governance in the history of the world,” Shapiro said.
Other speakers also spoke to the accomplishments of Shapiro’s first term, including the repair of the I-95 highway, economic growth, and Shapiro’s defense of SEPTA.
“The governor has delivered,” Philadelphia Mayor and 2016 Fels Institute of Government graduate Cherelle Parker said in her speech. “This is what leadership looks like.”
Shapiro’s response to the federal government — which he described as “the chaos, the cruelty, and the corruption in Washington D.C.” — shaped much of his message.
Davis positioned Shapiro as a vanguard against federal overreach, citing how Shapiro “spoke truth to power” when the White House “tried to force their chaos and dangerous policies” on Pennsylvania.
Shapiro echoed that sentiment, pledging that “if anyone tries to mess with a Pennsylvanian, restrict our freedoms, take away what’s ours, they’ll have to go through me.”
“Right now, we are in a battle to protect the very foundation upon which the place we call home was founded,” he added.
During his first term, Shapiro criticized Penn’s response to allegations of campus antisemitism on multiple occasions. In December 2023, the governor expressed concerns over then-Penn President Liz Magill’s testimony before Congress, including an exchange in which she neglected to state that calling for the genocide of Jewish people violates Penn’s code of conduct. He reiterated similar concerns the following year during an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee.
In the time since Magill’s resignation, the governor’s influence at Penn continued to increase on a private and public level, particularly regarding the administration’s handling of antisemitic incidents.
Shapiro enters the campaign with over $30 million raised, a new state record for a gubernatorial candidate heading into an election year. He is currently unopposed in the Democratic primary election and is expected to face Republican Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity in the general election in November.
Senior reporter Alex Dash leads coverage of politics and can be reached at dash@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies history and political science. Follow him on X @AlexBDash.