Pennsylvania Dems squeeze Shapiro as he eyes 2028
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announces his reelection campaign in Philadelphia, January 8, 2026 . Photo: Rachel Wisniewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Democrats and activists in Pennsylvania are trying to leverage Gov. Josh Shapiro's long-rumored presidential ambitions to try to push him to the left on a key healthcare issue.
Why it matters: Shapiro is the only potential 2028 contender who's also running for reelection as a governor in a swing state this year. He's facing a tricky political challenge — balancing his national aspirations with the demands of his state.
Driving the news: Just before Shapiro's recent launch of his reelection campaign — a bid that's being watched closely by national party insiders — Democratic lawmakers quietly pressured him to fix a costly dilemma.
- 70 Democratic state legislators urged Shapiro to help boost employee pay for in-home care for the elderly and the disabled in his 2026 budget proposal.
- Such workers "deserve recognition and fair compensation," most of the lawmakers wrote to Shapiro in private letters, which Axios obtained.
- It's unusual for such a large number of Democrats — about two-thirds of the party's caucus in the state House — to twist Shapiro's arm before he unveils his budget plans.
What they're saying: Mia Haney, CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, isn't hiding the fact that she's trying to use Shapiro's ambitions to turn the screws on him. She helped organize lawmakers' lobbying effort.
- "We know that Governor Shapiro has high aspirations, and we are supportive of those aspirations to the extent that he is prioritizing his responsibilities and the need ... here in Pennsylvania," she told Axios in an interview.
- "We can't be ignoring these massive issues here in Pennsylvania and then running a political platform nationally."
The other side: Shapiro spokesperson Will Simons said he "understands the importance of addressing challenges with our health care workforce, which is why he proposed and secured new funding to increase wages and benefits for some direct care workers in the 2025-26 budget and has repeatedly called on the legislature to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour."
- "The governor will propose another balanced, fiscally responsible budget next month — and he will have more to say about his proposal then," Simons added.
- Shapiro's office also noted that he must pass bills through a split state legislature. Republicans control the Senate while Democrats lead the House.
By the numbers: Raising worker wages, which Shapiro could help make possible by increasing the state's Medicaid reimbursement rate to in-home care agencies, may be so expensive it requires a tax increase — a risky move in a swing state.
- Home care advocates say current pay is so low that more than 100,000 shifts are unfilled every month.
- A study by Shapiro's administration estimated it could cost $850 million-plus to address the labor shortage.
Catch up quick: That isn't the only governing challenge Shapiro is likely to face as he moves toward a possible 2028 run.
- He could be forced to deal with backlash to data centers and rising electricity rates.
Between the lines: Several other possible 2028 Democratic candidates — such as California Gov. Gavin Newsom, former Vice President Harris and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, won't face the same political pressures as Shapiro.
- They're either no longer in office or, in Newsom's case, finishing their final term at the end of the year.
- But Shapiro's reelection campaign also gives him a chance to raise his national profile, deepen connections with donors and, if successful, give him a launchpad for 2028.
