Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito criticized Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) over Pennsylvania’s plans not to have a booth at the Great American State Fair in Washington.
“It was really, quite honestly, humiliating, because that’s how it felt to me,” Zito said Monday on The Hugh Hewitt Show.
Shapiro decided against sending a Pennsylvania delegation to the America 250 fair, claiming that after consulting businesses statewide, his administration concluded that none were interested.
Zito argued that Pennsylvania’s historical significance, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, the Battle of Gettysburg, the birth of the nation’s oil industry, and its legacy in steel, coal, agriculture, and manufacturing, made its absence difficult to justify.
Despite Shapiro’s decision, Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA) and Dave McCormick (R-PA) organized a bipartisan delegation to ensure Pennsylvania was represented at Freedom 250’s Great American State Fair.
Zito praised the senators for quickly helping organize the Pennsylvania exhibit, saying Fetterman and McCormick made it happen in under three hours. Zito also noted that volunteers, farmers, veterans, and local businesses rallied behind the effort.
“We’re probably going to have a better booth than we were ever going to have because of this,” she said.
Zito also questioned Shapiro’s explanation that the event had become too political, saying, “he wanted this out. He wanted it to be political, and you can’t get around that.”
Zito pointed to planned exhibits highlighting the state’s steel and aluminum industries, agriculture, a replica of the Liberty Bell, Christmas tree growers, and other iconic Pennsylvania products.
“There’s a reason it’s called the Keystone State,” Zito said.