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One of the Democratic Party’s top potential 2028 figures will stump for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on Sunday.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who has notably made a lane to the right of far-left Democratic Party figures like New York Assemb. Zohran Mamdani, will rally with Spanberger in the crucial Hampton Roads area.
The former Virginia congresswoman plans to hold multiple rallies in the Tidewater alone before Election Day, including another with former President Barack Obama across the ‘roads’ in Norfolk.
“Governor Shapiro this weekend is headed to New Jersey and Virginia to help elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger; two more Democratic governors who will focus every day on getting stuff done, delivering results for hardworking families and protecting freedom in their states,” Shapiro campaign spokesman Manuel Bonder told Digital on Friday.
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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro gestures to fans at the Pitt/WVU game at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia (Brien Aho/Getty Images)
Shapiro also plans to stump for Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey as she hopes to keep Trenton in Democratic hands.
Shapiro – who has announced he will run for reelection to Harrisburg in 2026 and has not officially indicated interest in a presidential bid – is one of several Democrats whose names repeatedly come up in such conversation – including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.
He was also the reported runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Kamala Harris’ 2024 veepstakes.
Shapiro lambasted antisemitic behavior at the University of Pennsylvania following the Hamas attack on Israel, while separately adding of Mamdani’s view of the Jewish State:
“You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there.”
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While Shapiro has faced criticism from Republicans in his own state for supporting former Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-era shutdowns and for the current budget impasse, he’s also been a rare Democrat to earn praise from some in the GOP.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee in New Jersey’s sweeps, namedropped Shapiro favorably enough times that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka – then running for governor – suggested he cross the Delaware and run in the Keystone State instead.
“[Pennsylvania doesn’t] have a property tax crisis [like New Jersey], they don’t have a business climate crisis, they don’t have an energy crisis,” Ciattarelli said, contrasting the two neighbors.
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Pennsylvania Republicans, however, disputed some of those descriptions, with state Rep. Russ Diamond, R-Lebanon, and Sen. David Argall, R-New Ringgold, recently drafting bills to eliminate property taxes altogether.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who challenged Shapiro in 2022 and is being urged by the conservative wing to do so again in 2026, also blasted Shapiro’s budget proposals as “fantasy,” warning in a statement that “eventually, the funds from ‘we the people’ will run dry.”
Shapiro has also been vocal on election law itself, rebuking the president over a Truth Social post potentially foreshadowing an end to mail-in balloting.
“Donald Trump can sign whatever the hell executive orders he wants… But he can’t change the Constitution with an executive order, and the Constitution gives the authority to set our election rules to the states.” Shapiro said.
