Shapiro began his 2026 bid for a second term on Thursday, launching what could be his last statewide campaign, as pundits widely speculate a presidential bid from the Pennsylvania governor in 2028.
His reelection announcement video focused on several of his first-term policy wins, including signing a repeal of a statewide ban on Sunday hunting, a guarantee of universal free breakfast in schools, and an executive order to open 92% of state government jobs to workers without a college degree. The video, which felt like a Philadelphia Eagles or Pittsburgh Steelers hype video, opened with Shapiro’s viral moment of leading the rebuilding of an overpass carrying I-95 after a fire caused a collapse.
The governor also portrayed a nose-to-the-grindstone work ethic, saying several times that he has “gotten s*** done.”
“We’ve gotten s*** done all across our Commonwealth to make a real difference in people’s lives. Now, Pennsylvania is open for business,” Shapiro said.
“We’re moving our commonwealth forward, so join me and let’s keep getting stuff done,” Shapiro added.
Shapiro marketed many of his policy successes around the strategies that worked for Democrats in the 2025 elections by focusing on economic and kitchen-table issues. He centered his announcement on creating union jobs and affordability policies, saying his push to help non-college-educated workers get state jobs opened “doors of opportunity to more Pennsylvanians who’ve been shut out.”
With no other Democrats running to challenge the popular governor, Shapiro looks poised for a general election matchup against Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity. Garrity slammed Shapiro in her announcement for “spending his time running for president,” pointing out the monthslong state budget impasse under his watch.
A Quinnipiac poll from October 2025 shows Shapiro, who had not yet declared, leading Garrity by 17 points. During his third year in office, Shapiro hit a 60% approval rating, according to the poll.
In his first gubernatorial election in 2022, Shapiro defeated his GOP opponent, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, by about 14.8 points.
Garrity won her second term as state treasurer in 2024, defeating her Democratic opponent by about 6.5 points.
Shapiro also featured his running mate, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D-PA), in the announcement video.
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“We’re focused on making life a little bit easier for families, cutting taxes seven times, for our seniors, small businesses, and nearly 1 million hard-working Pennsylvanians,” Davis said.
Shapiro, who many pundits see as a possible front-runner for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, is releasing a memoir on Jan. 27 that details the April 2025 arson attack on his home and walks through his entire political career.
