COLLIER TOWNSHIP — Gov. Josh Shapiro launched his reelection bid in western Pennsylvania on Thursday, highlighting his accomplishments since taking office in 2023 and outlining his goals for a second term.
Despite noting that Republicans and Independents were present in the packed carpenters union hall, the only boos came when Shapiro mentioned his Philadelphia Eagles fandom. It was, unmistakably, Steeler country.
The crowd was loud and enthusiastic, packed with local figures such as newly sworn-in Pittsburgh Mayor Cory O’Connor and labor leaders, including Darrin Kelly of the Allegheny-Fayette Labor Council, alongside scores of trade and union workers filling the cavernous hall.
Visually, the rollout differed from Shapiro’s 2022 kickoff along the river in Johnstown. Substantively, however, it was familiar: a message rooted in the importance of place.
In an exclusive interview with the Washington Examiner after the speech, before departing for his Philadelphia announcement, Shapiro summed it up simply: different location, same goal — ensuring every community in Pennsylvania gets a fair shot.
“I wanted to be focused here in the union hall on those who I believe are going to make up the power of the next generation of workers in Pennsylvania,” he said of the trade union members who are already working on shovel-ready energy projects in the region.
“If we don’t invest in skills-based labor, we’re not going to have as bright a future in our Commonwealth,” he said. “And so that’s why I’m here today focused on what I think is the ability to help every Pennsylvanian chart their own course and achieve success. And so much of that runs through halls like this one.”
Before Shapiro took to the stage, one of the people who stepped up ahead of him was a man who goes by “Tim O”, a 52-year-old father who is on his second career and his second year in a carpenter apprenticeship. Tim became choked up when he said, “I don’t look like other apprentices.”
Shapiro said Tim was an example of his administration’s investment in trade programs in a state where over 60% of the population did not attend college and that it was important to give him a platform.
“One of the things I always ask the apprentices is, ‘Hey, how’d you get here? What brought you here? What was your journey?’ Some of them come right out of high school and we want to create those pathways,” Shapiro explained of the variety of answers he has received over the years. “Some of them go to college for a year, realize it’s not for them. Some of them have different careers and then find their ways here.”
“The key is opening up the doors to places like this and showing people it exists because we need people like Tim O., who, even at 52 to dedicate their lives to having the skills we need to produce more energy, to quite literally build bridges and build buildings,” Shapiro said.
The speech was filled with stories highlighting accomplishments, future goals, and governing with purpose, and included a brief swipe at the bipartisan chaos in Washington. Notably, Shapiro avoided inflammatory language, steering clear of demonizing Republicans or President Donald Trump.
And he uses the word “we” instead of “I” when discussing accomplishments, something many politicians cannot find a way to do.
“I obviously have profound differences from the President. You have written about that,” he said. “No one expects us to agree on everything. But to me, vilifying others, attacking others is not a way to bring people together and get stuff done.”
Shapiro, who has a good relationship with Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), said his job is to champion the things people can do together for the commonwealth.
“My focus is on building bridges, creating more opportunity for folks to come together, and delivering results for people like Tim O., and others who need help,” he said. “And so, to me, I want this campaign to be hopeful. I want to highlight differences where we have different policy views, but I want to focus on uplifting people.”
Larry Ceisler, a Washington County native and Philadelphia-based public affairs official, said the reason you do not see Shapiro go personal on Trump is because, first of all, that is always who he has been and, second, because he always wants his governance to be about purpose, not divisiveness.
“He always tries to make it substantive and not personal because he never wants to be perceived as attacking the people who support the president, so when he does criticize it is based on the issues,” Ceisler said.
Shapiro begins his launch with a formidable amount of cash. This week his campaign announced he ended 2025 with over $30 million in cash on hand and a Quinnipiac University poll that showed Shapiro’s favorability rating at 58%.
He faces Republican Stacy Garrity, the state treasurer, who has won back-to-back races for that statewide elected office. Garrity said in a statement that, “Josh Shapiro is more concerned with a promotion to Pennsylvania Avenue than serving hardworking Pennsylvanians.”
Shapiro’s governorship entered the national spotlight early, shaped by crisis decisions beginning in 2023, shortly after he took office, with the train derailment in East Palestine near the Pennsylvania border. The fiery wreck, visible for miles, was followed by a controlled burn that raised concerns across Beaver and Lawrence counties over toxic contamination in the air and water.
That was followed in June 2023 by a tanker truck crash beneath Interstate 95 in Philadelphia, a vital East Coast artery carrying more than 150,000 vehicles a day. The crash killed the driver and caused the overpass to collapse. Despite predictions that the highway could be closed for years, six temporary lanes reopened within two weeks, allowing traffic to move while permanent repairs were made.
Shapiro was also governor in July 2024 when gunman Thomas Crooks attempted to assassinate Trump, killing local fire chief Cory Comperatore and wounding two others. Shapiro was on the scene in Butler the following morning with first responders and investigators. He was in office as well when Luigi Mangione was captured in Altoona for the alleged killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, and when three police officers were murdered in York County in the deadliest day for Pennsylvania law enforcement in 16 years.
During that period, Shapiro was also on the short list of possible running mates for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, before ultimately determining the role was not the right fit.
Last year, an arsonist attempted to kill Shapiro and his family by firebombing the governor’s residence, setting the home ablaze, and causing extensive damage. Shapiro, his wife, their children, and other family members narrowly escaped the rapidly spreading flames.
Shapiro has said the attack prompted serious conversations with his wife about whether he should seek reelection.
“I think a couple of days after that, my primary focus was on being a good dad and a good husband and being a good governor. And I have tried very, very hard to both heal myself and be there for my kids as they work through this and be there for Laurie,” he said of his wife who was with him at the beginning of the interview.
Shapiro admits there were many family discussions on what they should do.
“We had a long talk about whether we wanted to keep doing this in the face of that kind of attack and that kind of threat,” he said. “The reality is we all ended up in the exact same place. Yes, we not only have to keep governing but we got to run again and keep doing this because you can’t let those who want to inflict pain on others bring harm to communities. You can’t let them win.”
Shapiro said he expects to continue working through the aftermath for years, noting that members of both parties privately reached out to check on his well-being and offer help, including Trump, who was himself the target of an assassination attempt.
“He called and I appreciated that,” he said. “And we talked about his brush with death in public. No public officials should have to go through this. Our politics shouldn’t be this way.”
Shapiro said he hopes the way he runs his campaign and governs will help lower the temperature and allow for a measure of healing.
“I said today in my speech, go talk to that person that voted a different way in the last election and have a respectful conversation,” Shapiro said. “We need more of that.”