Election Day 2026, the Democrats will focus everything on
Election 2028. They must win the presidency, or their relevance as a national
party will collapse. Besides, the pundits will be jabbering about the line-up,
and some candidates will announce their bid in January or February 2027. That’s
the tradition, especially after Trump launched his ultimately successful
re-election bid following the 2022 midterms.
Democrats are on the chopping block, and it’s now or never.
Do they have a chance of capitalizing on voter anger with higher gas prices and
stubborn inflation? Will Trump’s party falter in 2026, creating an opening for
them to give the public another choice? Voters are still clamoring about
affordability issues, and Trump Derangement Syndrome has barely abated, even
among some Republicans.
I outlined a general field of candidates who could compete
in 2028. I took another look at California Governor Gavin Newsom.
Now it’s time to sound the alarm about Pennsylvania Governor
Josh Shapiro.
He will likely win re-election by double digits, making him
a quality candidate.
He has served in many levels of state government, including
deputy speaker of the House, Attorney General, as well as governor.
Shapiro has reliably won statewide elections in a swing
state, one which Democrats had kept in their presidential column for thirty
years, until Trump flipped working-class Democratic voters to the GOP. Democrats
need to accept the harsh reality of shifting Keystone State politics. Voter
registration continues trending GOP, and more GOP candidates are winning
statewide races. Aside from Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Republicans hold
nearly every statewide office. They still control the state senate, and they
are two seats away from retaking the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
If these facts don’t help, National Democrats cannot ignore
Dave McCormick’s impressive defeat of the long-established Democratic Casey
machine to become the next US Senator. Senior senator John Fetterman is moving
closer to the GOP every day, too, having recently spoken at their mid-term
convention in Dallas, and will either switch parties in 2028 or drop out.
Democrats need a Democrat who can compete and win in swing
states like Pennsylvania. How could they not endorse Shapiro?
The AG-turned-government slaughtered the Republican nominee
in 2022 by 14 points, and he’s on track to win by a wider margin this year. I
made phone calls for his Republican opponent in 2022, and I was stunned by the
number of Republican voters—yes, the same MAGA types who supported Trump in
2016 and 2020—who refused to vote for the GOP nominee.
At least 15% of Pennsylvania’s Republican/MAGA vote pulled
the lever for Shapiro. Democrats need that kind of candidate to win nationally
in 2028.
He has a long record of bipartisanship, having served under
a moderate Republican statehouse speaker because a slim Democratic majority
could not agree on a Democratic Speaker.
Governor Shapiro has maintained a broad bipartisan record as
governor, as well. He kept the Republican Secretary of State. Of course, state
law requires a two-thirds vote of support from the Republican-controlled State
Senate, although the PA GOP does not have a supermajority in that chamber. He
could have nominated a more liberal candidate, but he went along with the Republican
incumbent to avoid the political drama.
Shapiro has demonstrated decent leadership as chief
executive, while other potential Democratic contenders must contend with
records of corruption, malfeasance, and failure (Newsom, Whitmer, Pritzker, etc.).
The Pennsylvania governor has gained plaudits for fixing roads and bridges
quickly, including a notorious breakdown of the I-95, which he restored to full
operation in 12 days by coordinating efforts from local, state, and federal
forces and resources. This kind of bread-and-butter competence can attract
run-of-the-mill voters looking for normalcy but who don’t want to vote GOP.
Unlike his liberal peers, Shapiro has a committed record to
public safety. As Attorney General, he focused on getting guns out of the hands
of criminals, as opposed to criminalizing law-abiding gun owners. He openly sparred
with Philadelphia’s George Soros-backed District Attorney Larry Krasner, who
has spent most of his tenure treating criminals better than police officers and
taxpayers.
Shapiro has also handled crises with leadership and
professionalism. The 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh was the
largest anti-Semitic terrorist attack in U.S. history. As Attorney General, he
took charge quickly and efficiently, ensuring not only restored public safety,
but also swift justice and retribution against the mass murderer.
When President Trump was nearly assassinated in Butler, PA,
Shapiro did not play partisan antagonist or indifferent executive. He worked
closely with local and federal offices, including Republicans, to ensure everyone’s
safety, to review the security failures, and to provide better security
measures in the future.
Shapiro has signed off on corporate and property tax cuts;
he has streamlined licensure regulations so that licensed professionals can
enter the state job market faster with less hassle. He has labeled himself an “all of the above”
energy governor, supporting expansion of natural gas and nuclear energy, and he
has withdrawn from regional climate change agreements. He even supports
fracking, a position that US Senator John Fetterman had opposed and then
pivoted on during this 2022 campaign.
Showing further pragmatism on recent issues, Shapiro has advocated
a broader, more open stance on data centers, showing some agreement with
President Trump. He wants proper regulations to avoid heavy resource costs on
ratepayers, but he also seeks economic opportunity and business expansion for
his state.
He’s still a liberal when it comes to LGBT issues, abortion,
and guns, so he’s a Democrat, and those positions will lend him support in the
Democratic primary.
Here are the liabilities facing Shapiro, should he throw his
hat in the ring:
1.
He’s Jewish, and he served as a volunteer in
Israel
The Democratic Party is embracing anti-Semitism with a
self-destructive terrorist ferocity. Shapiro could push himself as an outsider
with the inside knowledge to win elections at the national level, but can he
overcome the Pro-Palestinian militants?
2.
His bipartisanship
His record of working across the aisle could kill his
chances with the Democratic grassroots. Shapiro’s reform record on education
will dampen his support from key Democratic constituency teachers' unions.
Although he recently cut out funding for Pennsylvania’s school choice programs,
national teachers' unions may not forgive his record.
3.
His no-drama competence
Sadly, all the merits that would make Shapiro competitive,
even dangerous for Republicans in a general election would stymie his rise in
the primary. Bernie Bros, the DSA, and angry progressives looking to destroy
anything with a hint of conservatism or alignment with Trump will rally against
Shapiro. Former Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t select him as her VP
nominee because of the growing pro-Palestine propaganda and mobocracy taking
over the Democratic Party. That has not changed.
In the next two years, however, enough grassroots leaders, consultants,
and political pundits might have the power and sway to convince Democratic
voters to back away from the Woke craziness of AOC, Bernie Sanders, and Hasan
Piker. If the 2026 Elections are a dud
for the Democratic Party, Shapiro can capitalize on the DSA-based failures and
make a call for moving to the middle and establishing a Democratic Party that
can compete in all fifty states again.
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