Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will run for a second term in the pivotal battleground state after a first term that put him on the Democratic Party's radar as a potential presidential contender in 2028. He plans to make the formal announcement Thursday at events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, the AP reports. Although Shapiro hasn't disclosed any ambitions for higher office, his reelection effort will be closely watched as another test of whether he's White House material.
Ever since he won the governor's office in a near-landslide victory in 2022, Shapiro has been mentioned alongside Democratic contemporaries like California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, and others as someone who could lead a national ticket. Shapiro, 52, has already made rounds outside Pennsylvania. Last year, he campaigned for Democrats running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia, 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 chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz instead.
Shapiro's first-term repeatedly put him in the spotlight. He was governor when Pennsylvania was the site of the first attempted assassination of President Trump; the capture of Luigi Mangione for allegedly killing United Healthcare chief executive Brian Thompson; and the murder of three police officers in the state's deadliest day for law enforcement since 2009. Last year, an arsonist tried to kill Shapiro by setting the governor's official residence on fire 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 sought-out voice on the nation's recent spate of political violence. (Click for more on his plain-spoken demeanor and sometimes-controversial bipartisan efforts.)
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