May 17, 2022 - Politics

Josh Shapiro wins Democratic primary for Pennsylvania governor

Taylor Allen

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speiaks during the press conference. At the Council on Chemical Abuse (COCA) RISE Center in Reading, PA Tuesday morning April 13, 2021 — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speiaks during the press conference. Photo: Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who ran unopposed in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary, won his party's nomination Tuesday, per AP.

Driving the news: The two-term attorney general wrote on Twitter shortly after polls closed Tuesday that he's "humbled and honored" to be the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania governor.

"No matter which dangerous extremist we're against this November, the stakes are too damn high for anything but a victory," he wrote.

The big picture: A leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion this month signaling that justices could overturn Roe v. Wade has put a handful of midterm races into the national spotlight, including Pennsylvania's gubernatorial campaigns.

Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat, is term-limited, and with a Republican-controlled legislature, the future of abortion access in the state could come down to the governor's race.
Shapiro is the only Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate who has vowed to protect abortion rights.

Background: Shapiro, who lives in Abington Township, served in the state House of Representatives from 2005-2012. He was also a Montgomery County commissioner.

Shapiro received endorsements and fundraising before he formally announced his candidacy in October.

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Josh Shapiro wins Democratic primary for Pennsylvania governor

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