Shapiro kicks off 2026 reelection bid, with 2028 looming
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D). Photo: Jason Ardan/The Citizens' Voice via Getty Images
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro touted his push to lower costs for voters Thursday as he launched a reelection campaign that could help raise his national profile ahead of a potential run for president in 2028.
Why it matters: The Democratic governor's allies hope he could gain an edge in setting up a run for the White House if he wins by a large margin this year and shows he has long coattails in his critical swing state.
- Democrats are looking to flip as many as four U.S. House seats in Pennsylvania in 2026 — and are counting on the popular first-term governor to help carry the party's candidates across the finish line.
What they're saying: In his reelection campaign launch video that was released early Thursday, Shapiro boasts about overseeing the speedy reopening of a collapsed part of I-95, increasing education funding, and repealing a state ban on Sunday hunting.
- "I've stopped the federal government from coming between you and your doctor," he said in the spot. "I've stood up for parents who should make health care decisions for their kids, not politicians. I've shut them down when they try to throw out our votes and overturn fair elections" — a reference to the 2020 presidential vote.
- Shapiro's team said he had more than $30 million on hand at the end of 2025, a massive sum for a Pennsylvania governor the year before a reelection bid.
The other side: State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Shapiro's GOP challenger, has argued that he's running for president instead of focusing on Pennsylvania.
- Garrity is widely seen as a more formidable opponent than Shapiro faced in winning the governor's race in 2022.
- Even so, many national and state Republicans think Garrity faces an uphill battle against Shapiro — and some privately say they expect her to lose — because he has a high job approval ratings and huge war chest.
By the numbers: Shapiro won the gubernatorial election in by 15 percentage points in 2022, a blowout in a battleground where many statewide elections are close.
- He defeated state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a MAGA firebrand who spent little money on the race and alienated many Republican leaders and donors.
- After teasing a possible comeback bid for months, Mastriano announced Wednesday that he wouldn't run for governor again in 2026.
- That was a relief to many Republicans who worried that if he'd won the GOP primary, he likely would lose to Shapiro in the general election and trigger a bloodbath for down-ballot Republicans in Pennsylvania.
