PENNSYLVANIA – Last night, Governor Josh Shapiro delivered the keynote address at the Lackawanna County Democrats’ pre-election dinner, where he laid out the stakes of this year’s midterm election and highlighted his record of delivering for working families across Pennsylvania.

During his address, Governor Shapiro thanked Lackawanna Democrats for their work to elect Democratic leaders — like Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti — up and down the ballot this November. In these midterms, Pennsylvanians have an opportunity to put a check on Donald Trump and his enablers’ disastrous agenda that is making everything more expensive. The Governor also spoke to what more his Administration will be able to deliver — from raising the minimum wage, to building more housing, to codifying abortion access in Pennsylvania — by electing Brian Wrightson to the state Senate.

The Governor has been clear that these midterm elections will be a referendum on the chaos, cruelty, and corruption coming from Washington, D.C. — and here in Pennsylvania, Governor Shapiro is leading the fight to win up and down the ballot this November to get even more stuff done and keep moving the Commonwealth forward.

Read below for highlights from Governor Shapiro’s keynote address at the Lackawanna County Democrats’ pre-election dinner and watch here:

“Chaos and cruelty and corruption. You see the corruption play out every day in Washington. The kind of corruption we see from your Congressman, where he’s quite literally trading stocks on private information that is available only to him as a congressman… The kind of corruption we see from a president who’s put $2 billion in his pocket during his time as president… He has this privilege to sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, and instead of thinking about how to put money in your pocket, instead of thinking about how to make sure you have access to healthcare, instead of figuring out ways to make you safer and better off in your community, he’s thinking about how to enrich himself and his spoiled kids.

“This room has the power to be that check on Donald Trump’s chaos and cruelty and corruption. Everything he’s been able to do, the damage that he has inflicted upon us is because he’s had a rubber stamp in Congress. The people who know better, but look the other way… Republicans have the majority down there in the Congress by about four seats, and we have four competitive congressional seats right here in Pennsylvania, and I’m working my tail off to make sure all four of them win.

“You’ve got someone who’s turned Scranton around, someone who has stepped into messy situations and figured out how to make them better, someone who has led with integrity, and someone who I know knows how to get the job done, and most importantly, someone who will go to Washington prepared to be that check on Trump’s chaos and cruelty and corruption… That’s a lot of power that all of you have to bring a trifecta to Harrisburg, to make sure we got a check in Washington, and maybe even a reelected governor while you’re at it. And I would argue that it’s a power you have and a responsibility on your shoulders to do this work… Let’s not let Donald Trump steal our hope, take away our optimism. I believe that brighter days are ahead.

“It starts on November 3rd with the decisions that we make, and over the next 21 days, it matters how much work you put into this… The Pennsylvania way is to step up and do our part, and I know you can.”

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