by John Cole, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
December 26, 2024
Gov. Josh Shapiro is ending his second year as Pennsylvania’s chief executive with a solid approval rating and a new national profile that has him at the top of many prognosticators’ lists of Democratic presidential contenders in 2028.
This year, Shapiro became one of the key surrogates for the Democratic Party in Pennsylvania and briefly was a potential vice presidential candidate.
Fewer bills were passed in Harrisburg in the current session than any in the past decade, and much of Shapiro’s agenda remains aspirational — due in part to the divided legislature.
And even though he wasn’t ultimately chosen as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, Shapiro remained popular throughout the year.
In no particular order, here are the top five stories from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration in 2024, compiled by the Capital-Star team:
After President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection in July, the Democratic Party quickly coalesced around Vice President Kamala Harris as its candidate for president. However, one question remained: who would be her running mate?
A few candidates emerged as a potential fit for the ticket, including Shapiro. Before Harris’ announcement, Shapiro didn’t say whether he was interested in being on the ticket, calling it a “personal decision” for Harris. But it sure seemed like he was auditioning for the role.
During the short lived veepstakes, some Pennsylvania Democrats actively campaigned on Shapiro’s behalf, including a video leaked from Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker ahead of the announcement that seemed to suggest that he would be the pick. But not everyone supported Shapiro potentially joining the ticket, with some criticizing his position on school vouchers and his office’s handling of a sexual harassment case by a former top aide.
After Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, Shapiro thanked her for the consideration and lauded her pick, assuring Democrats he would campaign on behalf of the ticket. He even opened up for Harris and Walz during their first rally together at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. He told the audience he loves being governor of Pennsylvania.
The morning after Biden’s disastrous June debate, Shapiro went to bat for the president during separate appearances on MSNBC and CNN and didn’t join calls from some members of his own party for Biden to bow out.
Shapiro was frequently on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania and beyond stumping for Democrats up and down the ballot. He was one of the prominent surrogates active in the spin room following the presidential debate in Philadelphia between Harris and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and spoke at the final rally on the night before the election in the City of Brotherly Love.
Shapiro made visits to several key swing states including Georgia and Wisconsin, while also campaigning for candidates across the commonwealth for races ranging from U.S. House to the Pennsylvania General Assembly.
While Trump carried the Keystone State’s 19 electoral votes and the White House, the jockeying has already begun for the 2028 presidential race and Shapiro’s name is often mentioned as one of the Democratic contenders.
Shapiro was one of the most active members of the Democratic Party at its national convention in Chicago. He was present at various state delegations’ breakfasts and made the rounds with media outlets across the country.
He also delivered a primetime speech at the convention, centering his message around Democrats being “the party of real freedom.”
“The kind of real freedom that comes when that child has a great public school with an awesome teacher because we believe in her future. Real freedom that comes when we invest in the police and in the community so that child can walk to and from school safely and get home to her mama. Real freedom that comes when she can join a union, marry who she loves, start a family on her own terms, breathe clean air and drink pure water, worship how she wants, and live a life of purpose where she’s respected for who she is. Real freedom that comes when she looks at Madam President and know that this is a nation where anything and everything is possible.”
Shapiro flexes federal funds for SEPTA
While SEPTA was sounding the alarm the whole year about its fiscal challenges, the Pennsylvania General Assembly couldn’t come to an agreement to provide the funding the agency was requesting to stave off fare hikes. As a result, SEPTA officials in November announced a proposal that would have increased fares by more than 20% and cut services without the state intervening.
Shapiro insisted he “would not let SEPTA fail” and answered the calls of transit advocates to direct $153 million in federal highway funds to stop SEPTA’s “death spiral” and avoid those proposed fare increases and service cuts.
The allotment of money to SEPTA is still not a long term solution for the transit agency. Shapiro and the Pennsylvania General Assembly are on the clock in 2025 to find a solution to mass transit funding.
Shapiro criticizes Biden for commuting judge’s sentence in ‘Kids for Cash’ scandal
Shapiro has remained an ally of Biden throughout his time in public office, but sharply criticized the president for his decision to commute the sentence of former Luzerne County judge Michael Conahan, who was convicted in the “Kids for Cash” scandal.
Responding to a question at a press conference on a street named after Biden, Shapiro said the president “got it absolutely wrong” by commuting Conahan’s sentence, calling the Kids for Cash scandal not only a “black eye on the community,” but that it affected families in “really deep and profound and sad ways.”
His public rebuke of Biden garnered headlines in Pennsylvania and beyond.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kim Lyons for questions: info@penncapital-star.com.
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