Josh Shapiro

Why they say you should vote for them

The candidate's own case to voters, summarized from their campaign and public statements.

• Asks voters for a second term, saying "there's always more to do — more people to help, more Pennsylvanians to protect."[3]
• Says he has "invested more in public education than ever before" and hired hundreds of new law enforcement officers.[1]
• His campaign says he has created nearly 29,000 jobs and cut taxes 10 times for seniors, small businesses and working families.[5]
• Says that "even with a divided state legislature" his administration has "gotten a whole lot done," and asks supporters to "keep getting stuff done."[3],[4]
• Says "every Pennsylvanian should have the freedom to chart their own course" and the opportunity to succeed.[4]

Background

• Governor (48th), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania · 2023–present[2]
• Attorney General, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania · 2017–2023[2]
• Chair, Board of Commissioners, Montgomery County · 2011–2017[2]
• State Representative (153rd District), Pennsylvania House of Representatives · 2005–2011[2],[15]

Education

• B.A., Political Science (1995), University of Rochester[15]
• J.D. (2002), Georgetown University Law Center[15]

Where they stand

• Taxes
  Has signed budgets that raised spending, mostly on human services and K-12 education, and says the state's reserves leave room to both cut taxes and invest. Rejects the idea that his plans require a broad tax increase. Has proposed regulating and taxing skill games at 52%, close to the 55% tax on casino slot machines, and increasing the share of state sales tax revenue that goes to transit. Has said he is open to suspending the gas tax but that the legislature must act.[6],[7]
• Economy & Jobs
  Supports raising Pennsylvania's $7.25 minimum wage to $15 an hour, a bill the state House passed but the Senate has not taken up. Has vowed to veto any "right to work" legislation.[6],[15]
• Education
  Has backed large increases in K-12 funding aimed at the most underfunded districts. Has supported private school vouchers, calling them "unfinished business," and has not yet decided whether Pennsylvania will join the federal tax-credit scholarship program. Proposed capping tuition and fees at $1,000 per semester at state-system universities and community colleges for families earning $70,000 or less.[8],[7]
• Abortion
  Supports abortion rights. Has pledged to veto any bill that further restricts access, ended a state contract with a nonprofit that counsels against abortion, and declined to defend the state's ban on Medicaid coverage of abortion in court.[9]
• Energy & Environment
  Describes an "all of the above" energy approach that includes solar and wind along with oil and gas. His Lightning Plan would rewrite a clean-energy tax credit, create a permitting board and require utilities to buy more renewable power. Agreed to withdraw Pennsylvania from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the 2025 budget deal and has proposed a Pennsylvania-only cap-and-trade program, with most proceeds returned to residents as electric bill rebates. On data centers, backs voluntary environmental, workforce and energy standards called GRID that developers would meet in exchange for existing tax breaks and faster permits.[10],[11],[14]
• Health Care
  Opposes the Medicaid changes in the 2025 federal budget law, joined a multistate lawsuit over how its work-requirement exceptions were set, and says no state can fully replace the lost federal money. Has urged the state Senate to pass a false claims bill aimed at Medicaid fraud.[13],[7]
• Elections & Democracy
  Said in the debate that he is open to signing a voter ID bill. His administration began automatic voter registration through driver's license services in 2023.[7],[15]
• Marijuana
  Supports legalizing recreational marijuana, with the Department of Agriculture overseeing the program, and has proposed a 26% total tax his administration estimates would raise about $200 million a year. Has called for expunging records of nonviolent small-amount possession convictions.[12]

Voting record

Josh Shapiro has not held an office with a recorded voting record. See Background and Where they stand.

In their words