Josh Shapiro has insisted that Pennsylvania remains the United States’ “ultimate swing state”, despite a Democratic election surge that has expanded attention to traditionally Republican territory such as Texas.
The Pennsylvania governor’s argument is central to his potential path towards a 2028 presidential bid. His political operation helped Democrats flip four congressional seats, secure their first governing trifecta in Harrisburg in three decades and win his own re-election by more than 20 points.
Mr Shapiro also helped Democrats take 11 counties that Donald Trump carried in 2024. His team said he had demonstrated “unique strength” among voters who were sceptical of the Democratic Party.
The governor invested more than $10 million in state Democratic campaign organisations and helped recruit candidates and produce advertising for House and state Senate contests.
“The common-sense approach we’ve taken to governing, the kind of candidates we recruited to run for Congress who won, I think that that can be a model for our party,” Mr Shapiro said.
He added that Democrats needed to share the “Pennsylvania model” while maintaining that the state remained the country’s most important battleground.
Shapiro keeps 2028 plans under wraps
Mr Shapiro has continued to avoid committing himself on whether he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2028. He spoke to Representative Jim Clyburn, a prominent Democratic figure from South Carolina, after the election but did not disclose what they discussed.
Asked when he would decide whether to run, Mr Shapiro said: “I just wrapped up a meeting with the legislative leaders and my senior team to work on our agenda going forward, and that’s what I’m focused on right now.”
He said his immediate priority was passing a bill to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, an initiative he said had not been possible under the previous Republican-controlled legislature.
Mr Shapiro said the election had shown Democrats could win across a wider map, pointing to victories in the Blue Wall states and in the South. “The map got a whole lot bigger for Democrats,” he said.
Asked whether Texas could replace Pennsylvania as the nation’s leading swing state, he acknowledged that it was a large state where two Democrats had just won prominent races.
But he rejected the suggestion that Pennsylvania’s position had been displaced. “I mean, come on. I’m Pennsylvania first. You’re never going to get me to come off of Pennsylvania being the ultimate swing state,” he said.
Mr Shapiro said the election’s most important practical message was the cost of living, and that his first proposed law was intended to put more money into people’s pockets. He also said voters had been motivated by concern about the direction of the country and had used their power to seek change.
