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Tag: Stacy Garrity

  • Democrats accuse Green Party candidate in Lehigh Valley district of Republican meddling

    Democrats accuse Green Party candidate in Lehigh Valley district of Republican meddling

    WASHINGTON — In a Pennsylvania election where a few thousand votes could make all the difference, the last-minute entrance of a Green Party candidate with a background in Republican politics has sparked the second allegation of election meddling in three months and complicated one of the nation’s most competitive U.S. House races this fall.

    The Lehigh Valley-based 7th Congressional District matchup features U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, a Republican who won the seat by 1 percentage point in 2024, and Bob Brooks, a Democratic union leader and retired firefighter.

    Both parties are prioritizing the race as control of the U.S. House could come down to a few seats nationwide.

    But the emergence of a third-party candidate has alarmed both Democrats — who have long claimed that Green Party candidates pull votes from their nominees — and the Green Party of Pennsylvania, which said it does not know the person now representing its platform in one of the state’s highest-profile races.

    “It sounds a lot like somebody’s just fooling around and trying to use the Green Party name, which is a well-known thing that happens in many states,” said Tim Runkle, cochair of the state party.

    Andrew Tupone, 37, of Northampton County, filed his nomination papers with the state last week ahead of a Monday deadline for third-party candidates. He was the only candidate to file to represent the Green Party in a Pennsylvania race for Congress.

    Unlike the Green Party’s endorsed candidate for governor — Tony Dastra of Lancaster County — Tupone does not have a long association with the party or its left-leaning policies. In 2021, he was the Republican nominee for a Northampton County magisterial court seat. Voter registration records show he changed his party affiliation from Republican to Democrat in February, and then from Democrat to Green in April.

    In an interview, Tupone rejected accusations that he remained affiliated with the Republican Party or that he was asked to run in a way that would draw votes away from the Democratic nominee. He described a leftward shift in his political views after voting for President Donald Trump in 2020, though he said he could not recall whom he voted for in the 2024 presidential race between Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

    “A lot of people are disillusioned with both parties,” Tupone said. “They’re sick of all the stuff that’s going on.”

    Tupone also said he did not pay anyone to help gather signatures for his nominating papers, which he turned in with upward of 9,000 signatures — more than twice as many as required. Runkle said Green Party members encountered paid canvassers for Tupone who declined to say who was funding the effort.

    According to a copy of the nominating papers obtained by The Inquirer, only one of the 22 individuals who gathered signatures is from Pennsylvania. The rest are from all over the country. Multiple have worked for Republican campaigns, according to public records.

    Colin McEvers, who gathered signatures for Tupone in Lehigh County, is a Republican candidate for the Maryland General Assembly who is also listed as the contact for the Maryland White Republican Council. Others — including individuals from Illinois and Michigan — have been paid to canvas for GOP campaigns, according to Federal Election Commission records.

    Tupone said he had no knowledge of anyone paying his canvassers.

    “I went around and I gave a lot of my nominating papers to friends to give to other people, and I sent it to them as well,” Tupone said. “And as I went around, I recruited people and asked them.”

    While the signatures appear to be based in the district — which stretches from the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton into the more Republican-leaning Poconos — the other candidates have until Aug. 10 to challenge their legitimacy.

    Such challenges are common, and the Brooks campaign is reviewing its options to decide whether to bring a challenge, according to a source familiar with the campaign’s thinking.

    ‘No one’s paying me to run’

    Jenna Kauffman, Brooks’ campaign manager, in a statement described the situation as a GOP-initiated and “desperate scheme to meddle in this race.”

    She connected it to a last-minute $1.7 million advertising campaign against Brooks in the May primary that appeared to be run by Democrats but was actually funded by a Republican political organization.

    The spending, by a political action committee called Lead Left, was aimed at boosting another Democrat who observers considered to have a worse shot at beating Mackenzie in the November election. But the effort was anonymous, and records that became public only after Brooks won show that it was funded by the Conservative Americans PAC.

    The effort to prevent Brooks from emerging from the Democratic primary came as he coalesced support from across the ideological spectrum with high-profile endorsements ranging from moderate Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (Ind., Vt.), a democratic socialist.

    “Voters deserve to know who is paying for this effort and whether Ryan Mackenzie and his Republican backers are involved,” Kauffman said, painting Tupone’s candidacy as a continuation of the move in the primary.

    Mackenzie’s campaign did not address that comment when asked about it Monday.

    Tupone said that the inference was “just false,” and that he instead likes the values of the Green Party, which he said included supporting the environment, social justice, and “stopping the corruption and also the genocide in Gaza.”

    “No one’s paying me to run. No one’s asked me to run for this office. I’m running on my own, hopefully with a lot of hope from everyone who wants to volunteer,” Tupone said. “I’m not associated with the Republican Party anymore. I’m not a candidate for them.”

    For years, Democrats have voiced concerns about the Green Party and other third-party candidates “spoiling” elections, from Jill Stein in the 2016 presidential race that first put Trump in power to the 2024 U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, when Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey lost to Republican Dave McCormick by about 15,000 votes. In that 2024 election, a Green Party candidate won about 66,000 votes, a Libertarian candidate won almost 90,000, and a Constitution Party candidate won more than 23,000.

    In the 7th District in 2024, Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democrat Susan Wild by 4,062 votes out of more than 403,000 cast. That was the narrowest margin out of any of the state’s 17 districts, making it a key tossup district this year.

    That margin is also significantly different from the one Shapiro potentially faces during his reelection campaign this year as he maintains a sizable lead over Republican Stacy Garrity, and as a Green candidate officially filed to run on Monday. Shapiro defeated Republican Doug Mastriano in 2022 by almost 793,000 votes; the Green Party candidate won just over 24,000 votes.

    Runkle said that nobody solicited the Green Party’s endorsement in a Pennsylvania congressional race this year, and that a conversation he had with Tupone left “a lot of questions.”

    He said the party is concerned about its reputation and about being targeted in ways that do not lift up its platform, which focuses on environmental protections and liberal positions on healthcare. But he also pushed back on concerns that the party should be considered a spoiler.

    “I do solidly believe that the Green Party policies and the values we represent has a solid bloc of voters,” Runkle said. “If people think that’s spoiling the race, then they should try harder to speak to the issues that we speak to.”

  • ‘People are sacrificing necessities.’ Ahead of Pa. governor’s race, the economy weighs heavily for Latino voters

    ‘People are sacrificing necessities.’ Ahead of Pa. governor’s race, the economy weighs heavily for Latino voters

    Jorge Luis Burgos of North Philadelphia, a registered Democrat, was one of many Latino voters who shifted to the right and voted for President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.

    Now he’s planning to shift back and vote for Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro as he runs for reelection in the key swing state.

    “Shapiro 100%. I love the way he manages everything,” Burgos said while attending Arte en las Calles, an event last weekend celebrating Latino culture held by the Esperanza Art Center in North Philadelphia.

    Burgos, 57, who moved to Philadelphia from Puerto Rico in 1980, said he voted for Trump in 2024 because he was worried about inflation and felt betrayed by the last-minute switch that swapped then-President Joe Biden for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. But he said Trump has failed to fulfill his promises, and he has found himself turning back to the Democratic Party.

    “I was disappointed, and that’s why I switched. But you ask me now, I’m disappointed, too. Big time,” Burgos said. “Trump didn’t accomplish his promise: ‘On Day One,’ inflation is gonna go down. It didn’t happen.”

    In the past decade, support of Republican candidates, specifically Trump, has grown in the majority Latino precincts of Philadelphia — with Trump’s share of the vote increasing from 6.1% in 2016 to 21.8% in 2024.

    While Harris still won these wards — and a slight majority of Latino voters nationally, according to exit polls — Trump’s improved performance with this voter group helped him win both Pennsylvania and the presidency.

    Burgos, like many other supporters who shifted to the right, said Trump’s promises to bring the cost of living down to its pre-COVID rate ultimately won over their vote.

    Ninety-three percent of Trump’s Latino supporters cited the economy as the main issue driving their vote in the 2024 election, according to a September 2024 Pew Research Center poll.

    Jorge Luis Burgos with his grandchildren Luis Burgos Jr. and Athena Burgos, in Philadelphia. His wife Carmen is standing in the doorway in this photo.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer

    But now many Latino voters have not seen the outcomes they were hoping for, with a May poll from Pew finding that Trump’s support has fallen more sharply with Latino voters than other voters. Only 66% of Hispanic Trump voters approved of his job performance in the poll, falling 27 percentage points from the start of his presidency.

    According to a May poll from UnidosUS, a national Latino civil rights organization, 66% of Latino voters say Trump and congressional Republicans are not focused on fixing the economy.

    Pennsylvania Democrats and Republicans will be seeking to sway these voters in November when Shapiro faces off against Republican nominee Stacy Garrity, the state’s treasurer, in the race for governor.

    What are the issues on the minds of Latino voters?

    Latino voters, who make up more than 600,000 of eligible voters in Pennsylvania and are the fastest-growing demographic group in Philadelphia, said in interviews that the economy, immigration, and support for small businesses are the issues that will determine who they vote for.

    “They’re focused on cutting costs,” Shapiro said of the region’s Latino voters at a rally with congressional candidate Bob Brooks and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the 7th Congressional District, one of four GOP-held seats in the state Democrats are hoping to flip after the area accounted for some of Trump’s biggest Pennsylvania gains in 2024.

    “They’re focused on their small businesses getting help,” Shapiro said. “They’re focused on more cops on the street for safer communities and schools that are stronger.”

    Gov. Josh Shapiro addresses the audience during a rally for congressional candidate Bob Brooks at the United Steelworkers Union Hall in Bethlehem, Pa. on Sunday, July 26, 2026.David Maialetti / Staff Photographer

    Jaime Negrone, 67, from North Philadelphia, has lived in Pennsylvania his whole life but has roots in Puerto Rico. He said the cost of living is the major issue he is hoping to see tackled.

    “Everything has become so expensive,” Negrone said. “People are sacrificing necessities on one end to cover for the other end: food, gas, housing.”

    Negrone said he will vote for Shapiro over Garrity because the governor seems to be more connected to the people of Pennsylvania.

    “Shapiro has a pulse on the issues in Pennsylvania,” Negrone said. “He’s been in the office, he knows the politics, and he seems to be a politician for the people.”

    Seth Ortiz, 30, a second-generation Puerto Rican from Northeast Philadelphia, said he’s going to vote for Democratic candidates in November because he feels that’s the only way to protect people’s rights amid increased immigration enforcement.

    “I don’t like the fact that ICE is pretty much doing what they want in U.S. cities. At some point, even killing American citizens and getting away with it, it’s horrible,” Ortiz said. “So anyone who is going to stand up for immigrant rights is probably the most important thing for me. And it’s probably always going to be the Democrat.”

    Gladis Avila, 55, a Venezuelan business owner from South Philadelphia, said she is not sure who she is going to cast her vote for yet. She wants a candidate who is going to stand up for her community and small businesses but has not heard much outreach from either campaign.

    “The Latino community needs people who work more for our community,” Avila said. “…When we vote, we want to feel like we are voting for someone who is going to help our community. Because that’s our voice, and our voice has an impact.”

    Gladis Avila stands in a park near her house in South Philadelphia.Andrea Padilla

    Echoing this, Jennifer Rodriguez, president of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a nonprofit focused on the economic growth of the Hispanic community, said she’s heard worries from businesses about being able to keep up with their expenses.

    “Small businesses are very, very concerned about the viability of their businesses,” she said. “And in the really escalating cost environments. Particularly, the labor force has become very costly.”

    How are campaigns reaching the Latino community?

    Matt Beynon, a representative for the Garrity campaign, said that helping small businesses is the main concern the campaign has heard from Latino voters.

    “And a lot of concerns she’s hearing are about the overregulation and red tape that is preventing them from either starting a business, growing their business, expanding their business,” he said.

    Outreach to the Latino community has so far included attending community events in Philadelphia and other communities with large Latino populations, like Allentown, Beynon said.

    State Treasurer and Republican candidate for governor Stacy Garrity holds a rally in Bucks County Sept. 25, 2025 at the Newtown Sports & Events Center.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Shapiro has also spent time in majority Latino areas. In May, he attended and co-hosted “Fiesta on Hamilton,” in Allentown, a street festival that celebrates Latino culture in the Lehigh Valley.

    “During Fiesta on Hamilton, Gov. Shapiro met with local small business owners, entrepreneurs, creators, cultural leaders, and local officials as part of Shapiro for Pennsylvania’s ongoing commitment to engaging, uplifting, and investing in Latino communities across the Commonwealth,” the Shapiro campaign wrote in a statement.

    Samantha Reposa, a representative for the Shapiro campaign, said the campaign is also running Spanish-language radio ads to further engage voters.

    ‘I feel left behind’

    Despite this, many Latino voters in Philly said they haven’t felt reached by either campaign.

    Rodriguez expects messaging to ramp up closer to the election. Because of the Latino community’s lower voter turnout in relation to other groups, Rodriguez said they are often the last to be reached, a strategy she is hoping to see change

    “One thing that typically happens is that the Latino community oftentimes is the last community to be approached by politicians and their systems,” Rodriguez said. “The Latin community’s voter engagement is relatively low. And a lot needs to be improved, but a lot of it has to do with candidates really seeking the relationship with our community much earlier on.”

    Carolina Hansell, 61, immigrated from Venezuela 33 years ago and is planning to vote for Shapiro, but said she has seen and felt the conservative shift in her community and that it’s in part due to a lack of outreach.

    “They need to work and talk to real people and the neighbors over here,” Hansell said. “It’s the only way to convince people and have a good plan. There’s not a plan right now, not in that Democratic Party.”

    Anjoli Santiago, 41, said it’s not just the Democrats that are lacking but feels like both political parties have lost touch with the Latino community and sees that trend continuing.

    “I think it will continue if we don’t have more conversations about how diverse our people are and the different needs that our people have,” Santiago said. “I feel left behind by both parties definitely. It feels like we are voting and those who we vote for no longer represent us.”

    Staff writer Michelle Baruchman contributed to this article.

  • Josh Shapiro may be the biggest fundraising juggernaut Pennsylvania politics has ever produced

    Josh Shapiro may be the biggest fundraising juggernaut Pennsylvania politics has ever produced

    The Rev. Ed Stafford first donated to Josh Shapiro in August 2024, sending the Pennsylvania governor $10 through the Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue. A few weeks later, he gave him $5. And then he made two more $5 contributions on the same day toward the end of the month.

    He would go on to make 105 separate contributions to Shapiro between that August day two years ago and early June, an average of one donation every 16 days.

    “I’ve been getting a lot of text solicitations, and his [Shapiro’s] have come by rapidly and frequently, and that’s how I got to get to know him,” said Stafford, a priest at the Diocese of Youngstown, Ohio. He was particularly impressed with Shapiro’s handling as attorney general of the Catholic Church child sex abuse scandal in the state.

    Stafford’s donations, totaling just under $1,200 over the last two years, form a microscopic share of the $60 million Shapiro has raised since the current fundraising cycle began in 2023. But smaller, repeat contributions from dedicated donors like him are one piece of a strategy — along with eye-popping checks from wealthy donors and a nationalized fundraising network — that has allowed the governor to shatter state fundraising records as he looks beyond this November’s race to a prospective presidential run in 2028.

    Blowing past prior candidates

    Between the start of 2023 and June 8, Shapiro raised more than $60 million, 56% more than the $39 million he raised at this point four years ago when adjusted for inflation.

    That figure is nearly double that of the second-best fundraiser: former Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who had raised an inflation-adjusted $31 million at this point in his successful 2018 reelection campaign.

    Shapiro raised the eye-popping amount from roughly 22,000 unique individuals, about 44% more than the 16,000 who had given to his campaign at this point last cycle. That is more than triple the number of donors for the closest comparison, former Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in 2014, who had only about 6,000 donors at this point in his unsuccessful reelection campaign.

    That figure does not include contributions from donors who gave $50 or less in a campaign finance reporting period, as campaigns are not required to disclose information on those individuals. When including that group, Shapiro’s campaign said, it has more than 120,000 unique contributors. The campaign declined to comment on the rest of this article.

    Perhaps most staggering, Shapiro’s current campaign has raised nearly one in every five dollars collected by every major party gubernatorial candidate since the 2010 cycle.

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    Robin Kolodny, a political science professor at Temple University, said Shapiro is benefiting from a strong personal brand, a weak GOP opponent in State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, and a favorable national environment with an unpopular president of the opposing party dragging down GOP candidates across the country.

    “This is what happens when you have a highly popular incumbent running for reelection,” Kolodny said.

    Differing motivations for large and small donors

    Shapiro has raised about $2.5 million from donors who have given $50 or less in any given campaign finance reporting period — more than any prior candidate since 2010. That is about 4.3% of his total fundraising. Garrity has raised about $530,000 — 9.6% of her funds — from such small donors.

    Among Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidates who raised at least $1 million, Shapiro’s percentage is relatively high. Only Garrity; Shapiro’s 2022 opponent, State Sen. Doug Mastriano; and 2010 GOP candidate for governor Samuel Rohrer raised a higher share from small-dollar donors. Shapiro’s 2026 run is also pulling in a slightly smaller percentage of small-dollar givers than his 2022 campaign.

    Kolodny suggested that improvements in technology have likely aided Shapiro’s hunt for smaller-dollar donors.

    “It’s so much easier to reach somebody on their phone with an Instagram post or whatever and get them to Venmo me 10 bucks, while it was definitely more steps in earlier elections,” Kolodny said.

    Stafford, whose most common contribution was for $10, agreed.

    “They make it real fast and easy to donate,” Stafford said of the multiple daily text messages he gets from ActBlue. “You gotta watch [that] you’re not pressing the button too quickly if you don’t want to let go of all your money,” he added with a laugh.

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    Dan Mallinson, an associate professor of public policy and administration at Pennsylvania State University’s Harrisburg campus, suggested an additional factor: National politics has filtered down to state politics in ways it had not in the past.

    “[Pennsylvania] voters don’t have a presidential candidate on this ballot to express support or anger [about],” Mallinson said. “So that gets translated into these other races, and Shapiro’s is obviously the most high-profile.”

    On the flip side, Shapiro has raised more than $33 million from donors who have given $100,000 or more in aggregate. That figure is vastly greater than any prior candidate for the office since 2010 and accounts for about 58% of his total funds raised. Garrity, by contrast, has raised about 21.3% of her money from such mega donors.

    Kolodny said big donors’ motivations can differ from those of more modest givers.

    For some donors, it’s practical: They want access to the halls of power in case their business interests intersect with government policy — regardless of the party in charge.

    With such donors likely viewing Shapiro’s reelection as a sure thing, Kolodny suggested their money has one place to go.

    “There’s no reason for a lot of these donors to even think, ‘Well, just in case, I should give some money to Garrity,’” Kolodny said. “There’s only one horse to bet on.”

    For other donors, it’s ideological: They share Shapiro’s moderate views and want to demonstrate their support.

    A national fundraising network

    More than two-thirds of Shapiro’s money has come from donors who live outside Pennsylvania. That figure is vastly higher than any prior candidate for governor since 2010. Only 6.4% of Garrity’s money has come from outside the state.

    Mallinson pointed out that Shapiro finds himself in a unique position among the state’s recent crop of gubernatorial candidates.

    “This is the first time Pennsylvania’s really had a governor who’s attracting the national attention that Shapiro’s gotten,” Mallinson said, referring to the widespread expectation that he will run for president in 2028. “So if we’re comparing across governors, it makes sense he’d be attracting more outside [the state] money.”

    Among the $33 million Shapiro has raised from donors who have given at least $100,000 or more over the course of the campaign, nearly 70% has come from outside Pennsylvania, with California accounting for about 29% of the money and New York accounting for a little over 18%.

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    Here, too, changes in media and technology likely play a role.

    “At an earlier point in time, we didn’t have that much information about people representing other areas that shared a characteristic or a position similar to me as the donor, but now, this is easy information to find,” Kolodny said.

    Shapiro, for example, has repeatedly emphasized the impact his Jewish faith has had on his political values and how those values are shared among adherents of many religions. That sort of openness about his identity can be appealing to donors of all faiths.

    As he learned more about the governor, Stafford, a devotee of Catholic social teaching, came to believe the two men shared similar values.

    “He’s a good, just man — a good, holy man — set on serving people, especially people who’ve been hurt and victimized, and those are the kind of leaders we need more than ever.”

    Staff writer Michelle Baruchman contributed to this article.

  • Poll: 44% of Pennsylvanians say they’re financially worse off now, while a majority oppose AI data centers

    Poll: 44% of Pennsylvanians say they’re financially worse off now, while a majority oppose AI data centers

    Almost half of Pennsylvania voters say they are worse off financially compared with one year ago, while nearly 3 in 4 say they do not want an artificial intelligence data center in their backyard, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

    The Quinnipiac University survey of 895 registered Pennsylvania voters has a 4.3-percentage-point margin of error.

    According to the poll, 44% of Pennsylvania voters believe they are financially worse off than a year ago, as gas prices have fluctuated amid the ongoing war between the United States and Iran. That opinion was politically split, as 64% of Democrats said they are financially worse off now, while 61% of Republican voters polled said they are better off this year than last. Just 34% of respondents said the nation’s economy is excellent or good, while 53% think it is getting worse.

    Meanwhile, 76% Pennsylvania voters said they would oppose data center construction in their communities — a broad swath that includes Democrats, Republicans, and independents.

    Almost half of the voters polled have an unfavorable opinion of artificial intelligence itself.

    “People are really troubled by this new industry,” said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac. “It’s about noise, it’s about water, it’s about taxes, and it’s about … not understanding exactly what it is.”

    Quinnipiac’s poll also shows Pennsylvania voters have not been satisfied with the state’s policy responses so far. When asked if they approve of “the way Gov. Josh Shapiro is handling data centers in Pennsylvania,” just 24% of the surveyed voters said they approve. Among the Democrats polled, 40% said they approve.

    The results of the poll, conducted June 9 to 13, come days after Pennsylvania lawmakers and Shapiro approved new regulations on data centers as part of the 2026-27 state budget.

    Starting next summer, data centers will be required to submit information about their energy and water usage to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection annually. Those reports will be available to the public, and data center operators that do not comply will be fined $10,000 per day.

    Here’s what’s in — and not in — Pennsylvania’s $50.8 billion state budget

    But other restrictions on data centers that saw bipartisan support ultimately failed to pass in the budget package and will remain on the table when legislators return this fall.

    Those include an effort championed by Shapiro to limit sales and use tax exemptions benefiting developers, though it would not apply to the $20 billion Amazon project already underway, including a data center in Falls Township.

    Efforts to enact local or statewide moratoriums on data center development were not included in the final state budget, either.

    AI data centers also remain top-of-mind for the voters polled by Quinnipiac, with 76% saying they are following news about them very closely or somewhat closely. The centers ranked among voters’ top issues, with 42% saying they factor into their decision about whom to vote for in the election for governor.

    But other issues — namely the economy and cost of living — top the list, with healthcare just behind.

    Shapiro stays popular

    Shapiro otherwise remains popular among Pennsylvania voters.

    In the poll, 51% of respondents reported having a favorable opinion of Shapiro, and 56% approve of the way he is handling his job as governor.

    “Pennsylvanians agree that Governor Josh Shapiro is delivering results for families, seniors, and businesses all across the Commonwealth by showing up, listening, and getting stuff done,” his campaign said in a statement.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives for the MLB All-Star Game red carpet at Independence National Historical Park on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia.Monica Herndon / Staff Photographer

    Shapiro, a first-term Democrat, is seeking reelection in November, running against Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity. The poll released Wednesday found that 53% of those surveyed would vote for Shapiro, while 40% said they would vote for Garrity. That is a slight change from Quinnipiac’s February poll, when 55% of voters supported Shapiro and 37% said they favored Garrity.

    Garrity, meanwhile, appears to be struggling to gain traction. Just 22% of Pennsylvania voters have a favorable opinion of her, according to the latest poll, while 58% said they have not heard enough about her. Half of the Republicans surveyed said they did not know her well enough to give an opinion.

    More than half of independent voters, 58%, said they would vote for Shapiro in a head-to-head matchup.

    “Usually, it’s not the death knell when not enough people know enough about you, but it sure as heck doesn’t help, and the election’s not that far away,” Malloy said. “Barring some dramatic change in opinion about the current governor, or something that she does or says which just catches fire with people, she’s got a huge uphill climb.”

    Josh Shapiro has fundraised $50 million since the beginning of last year, his campaign says

    Though he has brushed off questions about potential presidential ambitions, insisting he is focused on the state election in November, Shapiro has continued to build a national profile, with media appearances and a book tour.

    Trump approval remains low

    Though he remains strong with the Republican base, only 39% of Pennsylvania voters polled said they would give President Donald Trump a positive job approval. His approval is nearly nonexistent with Democrats at 2%, but even among independents, only 31% rate him well.

    That outlook comes two years after Trump carried Pennsylvania in the 2024 election. He visited the state Wednesday to tout new investments in Pennsylvania’s defense industry.

    President Donald Trump appears at a Defense and Innovation Summit hosted by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick at the US Army War College in Carlisle Wednesday, July 15, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    In the forthcoming midterm elections, Pennsylvania voters gave Democrats the slight edge — 49% to 43% — as their preference to control the U.S. House of Representatives over the Republican Party.

    The Quinnipiac poll also showed voters are able to distinguish between state level and national concerns, with 53% saying they are very or somewhat satisfied with how things are going in Pennsylvania.

  • Josh Shapiro has fundraised $50 million since the beginning of last year, his campaign says

    Josh Shapiro has fundraised $50 million since the beginning of last year, his campaign says

    Gov. Josh Shapiro’s teeming campaign war chest continues to grow.

    The first-term Democrat raised a whopping $12 million toward his reelection bid for Pennsylvania governor between April and June, his campaign said Wednesday — bringing his total fundraising to $50 million since January 2025.

    The announcement from Shapiro’s campaign came months ahead of the next financial filing deadline for Pennsylvania candidates, on Sept. 22.

    But the news of the governor’s eye-popping fundraising figures — topping the $10 million he raised between January and March — came the same week that federal elected officials and candidates are required to submit their financial reports.

    Shapiro is widely speculated to be considering a 2028 presidential run, though he has demurred when asked about any presidential ambitions. Several members of Congress, including U.S. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Mark Kelly of Arizona, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, and U.S. Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York — all of whom were due to file their latest fundraising totals by Wednesday night — are also seen as prospective candidates for the Democratic presidential primary.

    However, federal officials face different limits on the amounts of money they can receive. Individuals can give only $3,500 per candidate per election. In Pennsylvania, state law allows unlimited spending for candidates, and multiple donors have contributed five- and six-figure dollar amounts to Shapiro’s campaign.

    A spokesperson for Shapiro declined to comment on the timing of his fundraising announcement.

    If Shapiro decides to run for higher office, the money he has raised would not follow him. State campaigns are not permitted to transfer money to a presidential run. But his connections could provide a vast network of donors if he pursues the White House.

    Shapiro, who has boasted high popularity ratings in Pennsylvania throughout his term, has also consistently polled well ahead of his Republican gubernatorial opponent, State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

    Garrity’s campaign did not provide its latest fundraising numbers. Full reports for both Garrity and Shapiro, including who gave the money and how much was spent, will be available in September. In the 2022 Pennsylvania governor’s race, Shapiro spent a historic $73 million to beat Republican State Sen. Doug Mastriano.

    During the last reporting cycle, Shapiro outraised Garrity 10-1 as she struggled to compete with Shapiro’s large donations from across the country. Her campaign has previously emphasized that most of her contributions came from individual Pennsylvanians.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro outraised likely GOP opponent Stacy Garrity 10-1 in the first quarter of 2026
    State Treasurer and Republican candidate for governor Stacy Garrity holds a rally in Bucks County Sept. 25, 2025 at the Newtown Sports & Events Center.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    On Tuesday, Garrity stopped in Philadelphia for an event with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at the Union League about issues related to affordability, according to an event flyer. Media were denied entry into the private event.

    Shapiro was also in the city on Tuesday, touting the boost to education funding in the new state budget.

    The governor has repeatedly said his focus is on the November election in Pennsylvania, where he is vying not only for reelection but also to rally enthusiasm down-ballot in efforts to flip control of the state Senate and elect Democrats to four nationally watched congressional seats in attempts to flip the U.S. House.

    How the Pennsylvania governor’s race will help decide who controls the U.S. House

    Shapiro has taken on a more prominent role in the state’s Democratic Party over the last year. A longtime ally, Larry Hailsham Jr., became the party’s executive director in October 2025, and since then, the governor has continued to invest in the party.

  • Top Pennsylvania leaders have reached a $50.8 billion state budget deal, sources say

    Top Pennsylvania leaders have reached a $50.8 billion state budget deal, sources say

    HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s top legislative leaders and Gov. Josh Shapiro have reached a $50.8 billion budget deal, more than a week after a new state budget was due at the start of the fiscal year, according to two sources briefed on the closed-door conversations.

    Details of the contents of the overall budget deal were not immediately available on Saturday, as lawmakers are expected to begin reviewing the bills in the coming days and a final budget is expected to reach Shapiro’s desk by early next week. The state Senate was scheduled to advance parts of the budget on Saturday evening, and the House was scheduled to do the same on Sunday afternoon.

    Though the deal comes more than a week past due, the agreement on the state budget framework among Pennsylvania’s Democratic-controlled House, Republican-led Senate, and Democratic governor marks an improvement from last year’s nearly five-month budget impasse that required school districts, counties, and social service providers to take out expensive loans or close altogether.

    But budget negotiations were less contentious this year, with several major issues taken off the table, including whether the state will tax and regulate skill games, whether the state should create additional school choice programs for students in low-income school districts, and how Pennsylvania will fund mass transit when a two-year fail-safe runs out next year.

    Half of the state Senate and all 203 state representatives are up for reelection this year, and many are eager to approve a state budget and return to their districts to campaign. Many of the more contentious issues before the legislators appear to have been kicked to the General Assembly’s fall legislative session or will resurface in budget talks next year, when lawmakers are not scheduled to face voters. Shapiro, too, is up for reelection this year; his Republican challenger is State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.

    Pennsylvania’s budget deal was crafted largely in secret over weeks of closed-door meetings involving top legislative staff and leaders including Shapiro, House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery), and Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R., Indiana).

    The overall budget deal presented to the General Assembly will feature a state spending plan, in addition to some policy changes as part of horse-trading of legislative priorities by top leaders.

    One major policy change that appeared to be advancing as part of the overall deal on Saturday evening is a bill to allow local municipalities to pass ordinances placing a moratorium on data center development for no longer than 18 months. That bill, Senate Bill 1345, sponsored by Sen. Jarret Coleman (R., Bucks/Lehigh), was scheduled for a committee vote Saturday evening, when amendments to the bill were possible.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro arrives on the state House chamber to make his annual budget proposal in Harrisburg Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Shapiro hinted that a deal was near on Thursday at a news conference in Altoona, saying, “You’re going to see a lot of activity in the Capitol this weekend.”

    “We’ve been working hard, really hard, to bring both sides together, to bring together Democrats and Republicans, and I think you’re going to see a result that benefits the good people of Pennsylvania really soon,” Shapiro added.

    It was not immediately clear how legislative leaders and Shapiro agreed to fill the state’s billion-dollar structural deficit without creating any new revenue streams as part of the 2026-27 fiscal year budget. Even if lawmakers did not increase spending this year — which they are expected to do — the state would need to make up $1.2 billion to balance the budget.

    The deal’s 1.4% increase over last year’s $50.1 billion budget does not allow much room for new spending, unless other existing programs have been cut.

    In new spending, the deal appeared to include an increase to the state’s funding for public education through its adequacy and tax equity formulas, which were designed by lawmakers in 2024 to close a $4 billion “adequacy gap” following a landmark court ruling that found Pennsylvania was illegally underfunding students in low-income districts.

    “If the adequacy number was not agreed to, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” said State Sen. Vincent Hughes (D., Philadelphia), who is the minority chair of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, on Friday evening. “I think the adequacy number will be consistent with what the governor proposed.”

    Shapiro proposed a $53.2 billion budget in February, which included a $565 million increase to adequacy funding for public schools. He also included new potential revenue generators from taxing and regulating skill games, legalizing recreational marijuana, and increasing the state’s minimum wage to $15 per hour. None of these potential revenue generators appeared to make it into the final deal.

    How ‘skill games’ exploded across Pennsylvania — and sparked a multimillion-dollar political fight
    Screens shows skill games and cannabis regulation and reform as Gov. Josh Shapiro makes his annual budget proposal in the state House chamber in Harrisburg Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    The state is on track to bring in $48.9 billion this year in revenue, according to the Pennsylvania Independent Fiscal Office’s latest projections. Pennsylvania also maintains a $7.7 billion Rainy Day Fund that Senate Republicans have tried to prevent the state from tapping into. It is unclear whether lawmakers will agree to access some of the reserve dollars as many Pennsylvanians face an affordability crisis. Tapping into the Rainy Day Fund requires a two-thirds majority vote by both chambers.

    The state budget topped $50 billion for the first time last year and has increased by 25% — approximately $10 billion — over a five-year period.

    Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents’ Association intern Ethan Young contributed to this article.

  • As Congress comes to Philadelphia, Josh Shapiro takes center stage in America 250 celebrations

    As Congress comes to Philadelphia, Josh Shapiro takes center stage in America 250 celebrations

    Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has a message for members of Congress when they convene at Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Thursday:

    This is the birthplace of democracy, and with it, comes the responsibilities that America’s founders left behind.

    “The founders made clear that we have a real responsibility to do the work to constantly perfect our union,” Shapiro said in an interview this week, ahead of his speech before the ceremonial meeting of Congress, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed in that same building. “And that the Congress of the United States has a unique responsibility in that to be a check on the executive branch.”

    Those words come at a critical inflection point in America’s history, amid a tumultuous presidency, and as Shapiro is rumored to have aspirations of a White House bid in 2028. The first-term Democratic governor will appear before approximately 40 bipartisan members of Congress in Old City at the event convened by U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D., Pa.), speaking to the lawmakers from across the country about their collective duty to the public. Shapiro will attend numerous other 250th celebrations across Philadelphia in the coming days, during which he said he plans to share his optimism for America’s future and deep concerns that President Donald Trump has led the nation astray from its founders’ design.

    “I don’t think patriotism belongs to one party. I don’t think it should ever be partisan,” Shapiro said. “Unfortunately, Donald Trump routinely divides us, routinely injects partisanship into his definition of patriotism, and his actions, in many ways, are the opposite of patriotism.”

    Partisanship, divisive Trump presidency hang over 250th celebrations in Philadelphia and Washington
    Assembly Room in Independence Hall (Pennsylvania State House) Monday, June 15, 2026. This is the exact space where the Second Continental Congress met and the Declaration of Independence was adopted.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    As Trump plans to spend America’s 250th birthday hosting a political rally on the National Mall — with no plans to visit Philadelphia, the city where the nation was founded — Shapiro sees his own role as a unifier, and in direct contrast to Trump. As attention shifts to Philadelphia this weekend, he’ll appear on the national stage from sunup to sundown at events and on frequent TV hits — all with a home-turf advantage for his 2028 presidential prospects, as the governor of the nation’s quintessential swing state and also most important to the country’s founding.

    “[Celebrating the 250th] allow the spotlight to shine on Shapiro, even though it’s not entirely about him,” said Alison Dagnes, a political-science professor at Shippensburg University. “Do I think that helps his ambitions? Sure.”

    ‘Direct contrast’

    Sitting with Shapiro in his Harrisburg office earlier this week, it’s undeniable that he’s a history nerd — another reason why he was built for the moment.

    He casually quotes segments of The Federalist Papers, and references his favorite story about Benjamin Franklin‘s fixation on a half-sun on the back of George Washington’s chair during the 1787 Constitutional Convention, which Franklin remarked during the U.S. Constitution signing that “it is a rising and not setting sun.” Without having to look for its location, he points to his right to a portrait of Franklin, one of his predecessors as governor of Pennsylvania, hanging on his office wall. He notes lesser-known Pennsylvanians who played an important role in the nation’s founding whom he plans to highlight over the coming days.

    “You know, I hate to quote a guy not from Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said, returning to The Federalist Papers to recite James Madison’s concerns about giving an executive too much power.

    Gov. Josh Shapiro in the Capitol in Harrisburg Feb. 21, 2023.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    “If Madison were here today, he’d be really concerned about how one man has accumulated so much power and is wielding it in really dangerous ways, and I hope that at this 250-year mark we find our way back to that balance and back to the constraints on the people who lead our government,” he said.

    Shapiro sees his leadership style as a “direct contrast” to Trump’s, especially at this moment.

    “[Trump] restricts peoples’ freedom and liberties,” the governor added. “He whitewashes our history. That doesn’t further a sense of community, that doesn’t further patriotism. All that does is divide us, and I refuse to participate in that.”

    But for the next few days, Shapiro said his approach to the 250th celebrations is to: “Celebrate America, find ways to bring people together, and to have some fun in the process.”

    Fair games

    Despite his overtures of political unity, Shapiro has faced accusations from Republicans in recent days for playing partisan games over Pennsylvania’s participation in Trump’s 16-day Great American State Fair. Shapiro, in addition to several other Democratic governors last week, announced that Pennsylvania would not take part in the fair due to his administration being unable to secure any state businesses to sponsor the exhibit. Staffing and sponsoring the exhibit on the state’s dime would have cost $700,000 that would be better spent on in-state 250th events, he said this week.

    In the weekend that followed, Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators, Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman, made a push to fill the state’s empty exhibit. By Tuesday, it was filled with antique flags lent by a York County man, bags of potato chips from Snyder County, and a Christmas tree display from Fayette County, among other Pennsylvania-centric items.

    Chips, a Christmas tree, and the Liberty Bell: Here’s what’s inside Pennsylvania’s new showcase at the Great American State Fair
    Pennsylvania’s pavilion showcases state history and memorabilia at the Great American State Fair on June 30, 2026, in Washington, D.C.Sam Janesch / Staff

    Some of the businesses originally told Shapiro’s office they didn’t have enough time to participate. But when McCormick and Fetterman approached them with the idea to fill the empty pavilion, they joined in.

    “They obviously had a change of heart at the last minute. That’s fine,” Shapiro said about the revived Pennsylvania pavilion.

    State Treasurer Stacy Garrity — Shapiro’s Republican challenger for governor, who has aligned herself with Trump — in a statement called Shapiro the “only career politician who has politicized America 250.”

    “Josh Shapiro put his political ambitions above his commonwealth and his nation when he pulled Pennsylvania out of the national celebration of our 250th birthday in a pitiful attempt to score cheap political points with the liberal wing of his party,” Garrity said.

    Beyond the 250th

    Shapiro’s strength as a politician has always been his ability to appear “harmonizing” and bringing people together, dating back to his days as a Montgomery County commissioner, Dagnes said.

    A careful politician, Shapiro is known to stick to his message and has faced criticism from some fellow Democrats for his well-rehearsed statements.

    When Shapiro delivers his messages of unity and freedom to a broader audience in the coming days, voters are likely to view them as authentic — one of the most important qualities to any presidential hopeful, she added.

    “If [California Gov.] Gavin Newsom is the guy who’s gonna punch Trump in the face, then Shapiro is going to be the guy who’s like, ‘No, let me offer you an alternative,’” Dagnes said.

    “It’s what he should be doing right now, because this is what America is about,” she added.

  • Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday talks Supreme Court’s Krasner ruling, abortion appeal

    Pa. Attorney General Dave Sunday talks Supreme Court’s Krasner ruling, abortion appeal

    Attorney General Dave Sunday has spent 18 months as the state’s chief law enforcement officer, overseeing a sprawling office that handles criminal prosecution, civil litigation, consumer protection services, civil rights enforcement, and more.

    In that time, the 51-year-old Republican and Harrisburg native says, he has taken on issues ranging from the opioid crisis to illegal crime guns. And last week, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court handed his office broad authority to review the efforts of Philadelphia prosecutors to overturn murder convictions they have called unjust, a signature initiative of District Attorney Larry Krasner’s office.

    In a recent interview at his Philadelphia office, Sunday talked about that and more.

    What is your reaction to the Supreme Court ruling on the work of District Attorney Larry Krasner’s Conviction Integrity Unit?

    Obviously, it’s an unprecedented ruling.

    Oftentimes, the best outcome is through the adversarial process. We work with the Philly DA’s office in a lot of different areas, and I viewed this ruling as any other that provides me with instructions on a way on which I have to run my office.

    Moving forward, the ruling requires your office to review any post-conviction concession that Krasner’s office aims to pursue. How will that work?

    There are questions. How many times will we have to intervene? What will that do to staffing? Will we have the logistics and resources to do it appropriately? I think that process will unfold over the next month or so.

    There’s no other real comparison for this ruling, and so what I can say very simply is this: It is absolutely crucial that there is a voice for the families of victims, and at the same time, I think it’s crucial to make sure that we protect the rights of individuals who are charged with crimes and convicted of crimes.

    That balance is found in applying the law and the facts to the issue. That’s something we will enthusiastically do.

    .Assistant General David Sunday, in Philadelphia, June 23, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
    Since Krasner first took office, his prosecutors have supported efforts to overturn around 115 convictions. Given the Supreme Court’s findings, do you now question whether some of those overturned convictions should be reconsidered?

    Well, we have to look at the legal process there. For individuals who the court has already ruled in a manner in which they’re out of prison, those cases are done.

    But with cases that are still going through the appellate process, individuals that are incarcerated, those are situations where we’re going to have to take a look at it. I mean, this is very serious, and when the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rules in this manner — not just the ruling itself, but the verbiage — I, as attorney general, take that extremely seriously.

    We will do our job, and we’ll do our duty, and we’ll review it, but it’s also important to understand that this isn’t a quest to prove someone wrong. It’s a quest to ensure that all parties are zealously advocated for.

    Krasner has strongly opposed the ruling. He’s likened this issue to the struggles of the Civil Rights Movement and said that the decision undermines the votes of those who elected him to office. What is your response to that?

    I don’t think that it benefits anyone for criminal justice leaders to editorialize a lot of the work we do.

    It’s critical that the citizenry knows and understands that their case will be dealt with by applying the facts to the law — and I know that’s not the most exciting answer, but there are things that are in my control and there are things that aren’t in my control, and his reaction to anything is completely out of my control.

    The last thing individuals who live in the community want to hear are elected officials yelling at each other. They want to see outcomes.

    Earlier this year, justices ruled that mandatory life sentences without parole for those convicted of second-degree murder are unconstitutional. What are your thoughts on that?

    Third-degree murder, second-degree murder, those are cases where the acts resulting in the crime are vastly different case to case. As a prosecutor, I’ve tried horrific second-degree murder cases — one was an in-home burglary where an individual was left face down on the ground, duct-taped, and they ultimately died from positional asphyxiation, which really is torture.

    At the same time, there are second-degree murder cases where you have multiple codefendants, and — this case is highlighted a lot — one of the codefendants pulls a gun out, kills an individual, and all those codefendants, because they were acting in concert and furthering some conspiracy, they’re all guilty of second-degree murder and they’re in for life.

    So there are second-degree murder cases where the individuals should have an opportunity for parole, and at the same time, there are cases that are absolutely horrific, where individuals should spend the rest of their lives in prison.

    The important place we’re in now is the legislative process, moving forward to ensure that the punishment is commensurate with the harm caused in the crime.

    Violent crime has fallen dramatically from its pandemic-era highs in Philadelphia and across the state. Should the attorney general’s office get some credit for that?

    There is no one individual or agency that can take credit for these outcomes. We’re with our federal partners, we work with everybody.

    After I was elected, some of the very first calls I made were to the Philadelphia mayor and the police commissioner, and I made it very clear that we’re partners. I’m excited, let’s go. And that’s what we’ve done.

    The Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force is a huge part. We do everything we can every day to go after gun traffickers, illegal straw purchasers. We’ve removed more than 500 crime guns off the streets [statewide] in 2025.

    In addition to that, our Bureau of Narcotics works every day in Philadelphia. Last year, we removed 56 million doses of fentanyl from the streets, and a large portion of that was in the city.

    The Commonwealth Court struck down a decades-old law that banned Pennsylvanians from using their Medicaid benefits to pay for abortions, and last month, your office appealed. Why?

    A lot of people don’t understand the role of the AG in a lot of issues. In Pennsylvania, we have the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, the rules that dictate the job, and one of the rules in there is that the attorney general shall defend the constitutionality of statutes in Pennsylvania.

    I have irritated the entire political spectrum, because I am defending statutes whether you like them or not. That’s literally my job. What a lot of people don’t understand is that the [Medicaid] law is part of the Abortion Control Act — the same law that allows abortions to occur up to six months of pregnancy, the very same law.

    In that law is a subsection that also says that government funds cannot be used for abortions — so I’m defending the abortion law in Pennsylvania, just like I would any other section of that law.

    Critics say that by appealing the ruling and prolonging this issue, you are denying Pennsylvanians of what the court called a “fundamental right to reproductive autonomy.” How do you respond?

    Just like every law we defend — every single one — there are people that like it and don’t like it, and they will have commentary. I certainly respect their absolute right to have that commentary.

    What I will say is, this decision has nothing to do with that. It is the job of the attorney general to defend the statute.

    .Assistant General David Sunday, in Philadelphia, June 23, 2026.Jessica Griffin / Staff Photographer
    What would you say has set your tenure apart from your predecessor, Gov. Josh Shapiro, and his appointed successor, Michelle Henry?

    Very simply, I came into this job as a prosecutor. I ran on public safety. I wasn’t a legislator, so when I look at the office, I view it as a place where you follow the facts in the law, and you fight hard to keep people safe.

    With that being said, I have hyper-focused on issues impacting citizens. We have huge crises in Pennsylvania that need to be addressed, specifically the mental health crisis.

    When I came into office, I saw our prisons are full of people that have mental and behavioral health challenges. Individuals go to jail solely because they have a mental health crisis, and what I want to see are people getting treatment.

    What we did was create a new initiative that gives police a toolbox, so when they come into contact with someone in a mental health crisis [who is committing a low-level criminal offense], they can get that person into treatment [if the person chooses to do so]. At the same time, that person can be charged, and the police have the flexibility to hold that charge.

    This is brand-new, and we have nine counties that are already signed up and are rolling. We have five more lined up and ready to roll over the next few months.

    President Donald Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, and he was joined by some of the state’s other top Republican officials, such as Stacy Garrity. Is that an event you would have liked to attend?

    In all candor, I have events that have been scheduled for months and months, and the reality is, a lot of these [presidential] events pop up pretty quickly.

    On Tuesday, I had an event with the first elected attorney general in Pennsylvania, LeRoy Zimmerman. I was with him at a fireside chat, talking about what the AG’s office has looked like, and how it’s changed over the last 30 years.

  • Three years ago, the school choice debate shut down Harrisburg. Now Democrats are ready to engage.

    Three years ago, the school choice debate shut down Harrisburg. Now Democrats are ready to engage.

    HARRISBURG — Three years after a bitter budget standoff over allowing state funding to be used for private school tuition, top Democrats in Harrisburg are ready to engage on school choice.

    Legislative action and comments from a top House Democrat this week expressing openness to a federal school-choice program marked a notable change from 2023, when a fight over school vouchers put Democratic lawmakers at odds with both Republicans and Gov. Josh Shapiro, a member of their own party.

    The shift comes as Shapiro, who has embraced school choice and is a likely 2028 presidential contender, faces a deadline to opt in to President Donald Trump’s new federal tax credit program.

    House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) said this week that some of the uses of Trump’s tax credits, which are opposed by the country’s largest teachers unions, are “intriguing.” And he noted he is proud of some money the state now pours into one of the tax credits to fund private-school scholarships for low-income families in low-achieving districts. Those comments from Bradford, a top leader in Harrisburg, suggested a public softening on an issue that was previously a non-starter for his party — and signaled the school-choice debate may once again factor into state budget negotiations.

    “For our members of our caucus who want to see alternatives for the poorest kids in the poorest schools, we’re being responsive to the needs of those constituents,” he said in an interview, referencing growing support for school choice among some House Democrats, particularly those from Philadelphia.

    State Rep. Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery County) during a press conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg Feb. 3, 2026.Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    The school-choice movement, a largely Republican-backed effort to allow public dollars to go to private schools, faces strong opposition from education advocates who say such programs can take money from public schools.

    And that debate is sure to continue. Bradford said more oversight — and an overall reform of the current tax credits — is needed to make sure the state tax dollars are actually reaching poor students.

    Earlier this week, House Democrats fast-tracked an overhaul to the state’s current $680 million school-choice tax-credit programs to require additional reporting from private schools in order to secure funding. The legislation is likely to face opposition in the GOP-led Senate, where Republicans on Thursday advanced a $25 million increase to the programs ahead of a June 30 deadline to pass a state budget.

    Senate Republicans called the tax credits a “priority for empowering parents,” while the Archdiocese of Philadelphia said the House bill would be “devastating” to local Catholic schools and lead to fewer scholarships for students.

    A spokesperson for Shapiro said his office is reviewing the House bill, and declined to comment on whether his position on school choice has changed. Shapiro, who has sent his own children to private school in Montgomery County, has previously said he supports school choice, including school vouchers.

    Shapiro has until the end of the year to decide whether to opt in to the federal program. But the signal of openness from Bradford, who is close with the governor, offers potential insight into his path forward.

    That program, enacted last year under Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” would offer federal tax credits to donors for giving to organizations that grant private school scholarships. Many GOP-led states have already signed on, while some Democratic governors have declined to participate.

    Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro taking questions from media on election day, Tuesday, May 19, 2026. He voted today at Rydal Elementary (West) 1231 Meetinghouse Road Rydal, PA. At left is Jamila H. Winder, Chair, Montgomery County Commissioners.Alejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

    Shapiro will also likely face questions about school choice on the campaign trail.

    He is running for reelection in November against Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity. Garrity’s platform focuses, in part, on expanding school-choice options in Pennsylvania and she has the support of Commonwealth Partners, a political action committee largely funded by Pennsylvania’s richest man, Jeff Yass, which has poured money into supporting school choice.

    The issue will also likely surface a national stage if Shapiro enters the 2028 Democratic presidential primary race. His support for vouchers drew criticism from fellow Democrats in 2024, when he was a potential vice presidential nominee.

    Debate over state tax credits

    Pennsylvania does not have a direct school voucher program. Instead, the state sets aside $680 million each year for tax credits that allow businesses and individuals to write off charitable giving that supports private school scholarships.

    House Democratic support for those credits has quietly grown in recent years. In a June 2025 letter recently obtained by The Inquirer, 10 House Democrats, including five from Philadelphia and the head of the Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus, asked their leadership to expand a portion of the tax credits for students in the lowest-achieving school districts — revealing more Democratic support for the programs than was previously known.

    Public education advocates who oppose voucher programs say the state is funneling money to private schools with little accountability.

    “It’s just a pot of money that a bunch of people get, and nobody really knows where it goes or what happens to it,” said Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters PA.

    New requirements approved by the state legislature last year are set to take effect in November and will require scholarship organizations to report the dollar amount of each award, the recipient’s district of residence, and where they attend private school.

    The bill advanced by the House in a 105-97 vote this week would also require organizations to report each scholarship recipient’s income level — reducing the current limit to $144,000 for a family of four — and the amount of remaining tuition charged to a student. Advocates, including Spicka, called that information key to gauging whether scholarships are going to families who otherwise could afford private school.

    Bradford said he’s proud of the $110 million earmarked in existing state tax credits to provide additional money to kids attending schools where a majority of students are getting scholarships. House Democrats say their newest proposal would steer more money toward those students.

    But the proposed legislation — which would also reduce the tax credit donors could claim for some contributions, and require scholarship organizations to set 2% of funding aside for state oversight of the programs — drew swift backlash from private school advocates.

    Philadelphia Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez is “deeply concerned that this legislation would have a devastating impact,” said spokesperson Ken Gavin. “The clear intent is to lead to the dilution or elimination of the programs, which are vital.”

    Schools affiliated with the Philadelphia archdiocese educate nearly 44,000 students across 117 schools in the region, according to its website.

    Bradford, who is Catholic, said the Archdiocese’s response “missed the mark,” arguing that this legislative effort is trying to achieve a similar goal of serving students from poor families who attend the roughest schools.

    “I’m proud of my own Catholic faith. I love when my Catholic Church stands for those communities,” Bradford added. “No one should ever fear transparency, especially when you’re talking about three-quarters of a billion dollars of state tax dollars.”

    President Pro Tempore Kim Ward gavels the opening as the Pennsylvania Senate hosts a ceremonial meeting at the National Constitution Center Tuesday, May 5, 2026. Tom Gralish / Staff Photographer

    Meanwhile, Senate Republicans on Thursday amended another House bill to increase the state’s current tax credit programs to $705 million.

    President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R., Westmoreland), a staunch supporter of school vouchers, said in a statement that Bradford‘s attention to school choice is disingenuous, criticizing the House Democrats’ bill as “overly burdensome auditing requirements disguised as ‘transparency.’”

    The 2023 budget breakdown, where Shapiro ultimately vetoed the school voucher program he‘d helped draft with Senate Republicans because it couldn’t pass the Democratic-controlled House, continues to tarnish his relationships with top GOP leaders, including Ward. He and Ward have hardly spoken since.

    “While Senate Republicans have consistently advanced legislation to provide scholarships to disadvantaged students, the track record for Gov. Josh Shapiro and House Democrats has been nothing more than a case of whiplash as their words and actions rarely align,” Ward said. “To me, it seems like the support for school choice by the House Democrat Leadership is more of a façade as they continue to cater to political special interests.”

    Ward has also called for changes to Pennsylvania’s new public school funding system, which includes an adequacy formula that directs more money to the state’s poorest school districts, including Philadelphia.

    Bradford, in response, said he is open to conversation about accountability and transparency, but that debate needs to include private schools benefiting from taxpayer dollars.

    “We shouldn’t carve out any portion of our K-to-12 education,” Bradford added. “That conversation needs to be uniform.”

    A choice for states on Trump’s tax credits

    Shapiro has previously said he would wait for more details before making a decision on whether to participate in the new federal tax credit program. The U.S. Department of the Treasury earlier this month released additional details, including that it will allow individuals to receive up to $1,700 in credits for making donations to private school scholarships that can cover tuition, tutoring, and more. In Philadelphia, families making $368,100 annually, or 300% of the county’s gross median income, would be eligible to receive the scholarship.

    School-choice advocates say Pennsylvania taxpayers will be able to claim the credit regardless of whether Shapiro opts in. But in order for Pennsylvania schools and students to benefit, the governor needs to join.

    Shapiro’s press secretary Rosie Lapowsky said the governor appreciates the guidance, but continues to await information on “how this will affect use of our existing tax credits, how states will be expected to administer the program, and how eligibility will be determined.”

    Twenty-eight states have opted in to the program, most of which are led by Republicans. And Democrats are facing pressure to stay out of the program.

    In a letter sent to Democratic governors this week, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and National Education Association President Becky Pringle called the program “a Trojan horse carrying near-universal K-12 private school vouchers into every state that participates.”

    So far, Democratic governors elsewhere have taken differing approaches to the program. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has said her state will participate but is waiting for final guidance before officially signing on. Other governors like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek have announced that their states will not participate. Democratic governors in Arizona and Wisconsin have vetoed legislative efforts to force their states to opt in, while governors’ similar vetoes in North Carolina and Kentucky were overridden by legislators.

    Bradford said it’s “an abomination” that funding for Trump’s program came from Republicans making other cuts to the federal budget, and emphasized that state Democrats remain committed to increasing public education funding.

    “Here in Pennsylvania,” he said, “we are a humble 102 [Democrats] in the Pennsylvania House and we are nimble and pragmatic.”

  • Josh Shapiro is most popular politician among Philadelphia residents — by a long shot

    Josh Shapiro is most popular politician among Philadelphia residents — by a long shot

    Gov. Josh Shapiro is by far the most popular political figure among Philadelphia residents, a boost as he looks toward November and beyond.

    In a new Suffolk University/Philadelphia Inquirer CityView poll, 62% of Philadelphians have a favorable opinion of Shapiro, double digits above any other political figure included in the survey.

    Not only did the Democratic incumbent running for reelection win over three-quarters of his own party’s voters in the blue stronghold, he also got positive reviews from almost half the city’s independents and more than one-third of Republicans.

    “He has strong bona fides within his own party, 76% favorable and 11% unfavorable, but he’s also at least somewhat competitive among independents and even some Republicans, so that’s an amazing profile for a candidate who’s an incumbent these days,” said David Paleologos, the polling director at Suffolk.

    Just 16% of residents have an unfavorable view of Shapiro, and only 8% have never heard of the one-term governor, who was on former Vice President Kamala Harris’ short list of potential running mates in 2024.

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    The poll of 500 residents in the city, which was conducted by phone from June 16 to 20, had a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points. Pollsters reached residents in all 66 wards in the city.

    Shapiro clobbers his Republican opponent, Treasurer Stacy Garrity, whom just 9% of the poll’s respondents view favorably.

    That’s not unexpected in a city where Democrats outnumber Republicans 6-1. But it’s Garrity’s lack of name recognition that plays a larger role. A whopping 61% of those surveyed had never heard of Garrity, a glaring figure less than five months until the November election.

    Although the state GOP coalesced around her last year and she faced no challengers for her primary nomination this year, only 26% of Republicans had even heard of Garrity.

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    “She’s kind of a blank slate, and that works to the challenger’s advantage, but if you’re Stacy Garrity you want to start defining yourself quickly before someone else does,” Paleologos said.

    Shapiro can drive up his statewide total if voters in Philadelphia, an overwhelming Democratic electorate, turn out in large numbers — though that has been less reliable in recent years.

    His broad favorability could also help him stretch his bank account further. Shapiro, who hails from nearby Montgomery County, has spent the least amount of money so far in the Philadelphia television market and the most in Pittsburgh, which could show his campaign knows where he is already strong.

    Fetterman is far less popular in Philly, particularly among young voters

    Shapiro’s popularity in the city stands in stark contrast with the state’s other top Democrat: U.S. Sen. John Fetterman.

    In the swing state’s most Democratic city, the one-term senator is faring poorly.

    Less than one-quarter, 24%, of Philly residents have a favorable opinion of Fetterman, compared with 43% with an unfavorable view. The numbers are even worse within his own party, with just 17% of Democrats holding a favorable view of the senator, who has often feuded with progressives and repeatedly crossed party lines to cast key votes in support of President Donald Trump’s nominees.

    His numbers are particularly sour among voters ages 18 to 24 and 25 to 34.

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    A strong majority of Republican voters, 60%, view him favorably in the poll, but the Pennsylvania Democrat has repeatedly insisted he has no interest in switching parties heading into 2028, when he is likely to face a primary challenge if he runs for another term.

    While slightly more Philadelphians have a favorable view of Fetterman than his GOP colleague, U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a greater share of Philly voters have an unfavorable view of the Democrat.

    McCormick earned 17% favorable views compared with 25% unfavorable views, while the rest had not heard of the freshman senator or were undecided.

    But the least popular politician in Philly was Trump, who had just 12% favorability in the city.

    Ninety-two percent of Democrats view Trump unfavorably, and 31% of Philadelphia Republicans do, too. The poll also found that nearly 70% of Philly voters had grown less confident in American democracy under Trump’s presidency.

    Trump made inroads in the deep-blue city in 2024, but Harris still won Philadelphia handily with 78% of the vote.

    The president is a frequent target of Shapiro, who has blamed Trump’s tariffs and other policies for exacerbating the cost of living.

    Taking on Trump may be boosting Shapiro’s popularity as he pursues reelection. His numbers show opportunity as he continues building a national profile, likely with ambitions for higher office. In a city where voters favor liberal and left-leaning candidates, Paleologos said, the polling results could be somewhat extrapolated to a national Democratic primary for president in 2028.

    What Shapiro has going in his favor is high popularity among women, with 69% viewing him favorably. That is good news for the governor, since women consistently make up a large proportion of Democratic primary voters, according to exit surveys.

    “In a Democratic primary, you really want to be strong among women, and he is,” Paleologos said. “If 60% of women are voting a Democratic primary, that really plays to his strength.”

    He also ranks in the 70s for favorability among people ages 45 to 74.

    “Those are people who are bill payers, they’re raising children, they’re taking care of sick parents, they’re very stretched in terms of economics. Just terrific numbers,” Paleologos said.

    Shapiro’s favorability is far above that of other Democratic politicians in the city, including Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and State Rep. Chris Rabb, who won last month’s competitive primary to represent the 3rd Congressional District, which stretches from Northwest Philly to parts of South Philly.

    A majority of respondents had not heard of Rabb despite his recent win. But 26% of respondents said they had a favorable view of the progressive lawmaker, compared with only 7% with an unfavorable view.

    The mayor was viewed favorably by nearly 44% of respondents, compared with nearly 35% who viewed her unfavorably — a net positive rating but a much closer split than Shapiro.

    “There are there are pockets of strength that make her electorally strong, but I wouldn’t call it broad-based,” Paleologos said of Parker.