In Reelection Launch, Josh Shapiro Admits Violent Attack Almost Drove Him From the Race |
COLLIER TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania – Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) 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 Corey 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 carpentry 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 percent 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........