Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, widely seen as one of the Democratic Party’s strongest rising politicians and a possible presidential contender, kicked off a high-stakes governor’s race on Thursday by announcing his re-election bid.
“We’ve gotten stuff done all across our Commonwealth,” Mr. Shapiro declared 30 seconds into his announcement video, using a more colorful word than “stuff” and pledging to do more.
The long-expected move marks the beginning of a significant new chapter for Mr. Shapiro, who is also releasing a memoir later this month.
The governor, already a national Democratic figure after becoming a finalist in his party’s 2024 vice-presidential search, is often floated as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. He has gained a reputation for notching notable victories in perhaps the nation’s most crucial political battleground.
Republicans hope to take some of that sheen off Mr. Shapiro this year, even if they face an uphill battle to defeat him. And his November performance — the outcome itself and, if he wins, by what margin — will go a long way toward shaping national perceptions of his viability as a candidate for higher office.
In the video, of course, Mr. Shapiro kept his focus on Pennsylvania. He reintroduced himself to viewers as a pragmatic politician focused on economic growth and affordability, public safety and education, including expanding state opportunities for people without college degrees. As in other places around the country, working-class voters in Pennsylvania have drifted away from the Democratic Party, helping President Trump win the state twice.
“Nearly 60 percent of our new hires don’t have a college degree, opening up the doors of opportunity to more Pennsylvanians who’d been shut out,” Mr. Shapiro said.
While he avoided making overtly partisan comments, the video alluded to his efforts to protect abortion rights in the state, and to reject Mr. Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
Mr. Shapiro, who plans to hold campaign events in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia on Thursday, starts the race with considerable advantages. This week, his campaign announced that he ended 2025 with more than $30 million in cash on hand, in what his team said was a state record. He has also repeatedly earned high approval ratings while in office.
The question for Pennsylvania Republicans is whether they have found a candidate who can put up a serious challenge to Mr. Shapiro, scrutinizing his record and raising the kind of money needed to compete vigorously statewide.
They certainly did not have that in 2022, when Mr. Shapiro won his first campaign for governor by nearly 15 percentage points over Doug Mastriano, a far-right opponent who spent the homestretch of the campaign in fasting and prayer.
Mr. Mastriano, now sporting a scruffy beard, teased at another run for governor on Wednesday during a Facebook livestream that included a nearly half-hour highlight video of his failed 2022 campaign. Eventually he declared alongside his wife “that God has not called us to run for governor this year.”
This year, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania is supporting Stacy Garrity, the state treasurer, for governor. Ms. Garrity is already bashing Mr. Shapiro as being overly focused on his national ambitions, while Pennsylvania Democrats are casting Ms. Garrity as too extreme for the state.
Early polling shows that she faces a tall task in introducing herself. A Quinnipiac University poll last fall showed that 13 percent of Pennsylvanians surveyed had a favorable opinion of Ms. Garrity, 12 percent had an unfavorable view and 73 percent said they hadn’t heard enough about her. In contrast, Mr. Shapiro’s favorability rating was at 58 percent.
Mr. Shapiro has been working to build out his national profile, going beyond what Americans know about him from then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s search for a running mate in 2024 (ultimately she chose Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota).
Mr. Shapiro, who has an extensive donor network, will begin his book tour this month. Closer to home, he has already endorsed candidates in some Pennsylvania House races.
After enduring an arson attack on the governor’s residence over Passover last year, he has also been outspoken about the importance of confronting political violence.
Nick Corasaniti contributed reporting.
Katie Glueck is a Times national political reporter.
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