Pennsylvania Attorney General announces his bid for Governor at an event in Pittsburgh, Wednesday.
To the surprise virtually no one — The Times has been reporting this for months — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro is running for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2022. While there are nearly dozen Republican candidates for governor, Shapiro is currently the only Democrat seeking the seat — and appears unlikely to draw a primary opponent.
Shapiro, a Montgomery County native, announced his campaign to be the next Governor in Pittsburgh Wednesday, pledging to “take on the big fights and get things done for Pennsylvanians.”
In the announcement speech, Shapiro highlighted his record of standing up for the people of western Pennsylvania – like protecting health care access for 1.9 million Pennsylvanians, getting workers their money back after one of the largest highway contractors in the Commonwealth stole from them, and exposing decades of sexual abuse and cover-ups in the Catholic Church. He also outlined his vision for Pennsylvania’s future, including creating good-paying jobs and growing the economy, shaking up the way government works, and protecting people’s fundamental rights.
In Pittsburgh, Shapiro was joined by more than 100 political and labor leaders – and was endorsed by Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and State Representative and Democratic nominee for mayor Ed Gainey.
Later in the day, in his native Montgomery County, Shapiro ended the day with a homecoming rally in front of hundreds of supporters. Shapiro talked about his background and the lessons he’s learned from serving that community – from watching his parents serve others to being a voice for people as a state representative, county commissioner, and now Attorney General.
Shapiro highlighted how Pennsylvania’s future needs to be accessible to all – and to do that, we first need to address the systemic inequities holding too many back from their potential.
On Thursday, Shapiro kicks off a statewide “Big Fights Bus Tour” in Philadelphia, and over the next week, he will travel throughout the Commonwealth to highlight his record of taking on the big fights, standing up to those in power, and getting things done for Pennsylvanians.
