BUCKS COUNTY, PA – Tonight, Governor Shapiro delivered remarks accepting the Democratic nomination for re-election as Governor of Pennsylvania and kicking off the general election.

Below are the Governor’s 2026 primary night remarks as prepared for delivery:

Thank you, Bucks County!

To LG Austin Davis — the best decision I made four years ago was choosing you to be my running mate. You’ve been an outstanding and impactful LG and a trusted voice in my ear.

Tonight, my fellow Democrats once again showed great wisdom by elevating the son of a hairdresser and a union bus driver from western Pennsylvania to the second most powerful job in our state and I could not be more excited to wage this reelection campaign together!

I am called to serve by my faith and I’ve been guided on this journey of service by my family.

The way my parents raised me to care about people around me.

The way a girl in the 9th grade, took a chance on me by granting me a first date at Goodnoe Farms in Newtown which led to 29 years of a happy marriage, the blessing of four children and a life dedicated to doing our part to repair the world.

To Pennsylvania’s First Lady, that girl I shared an ice cream and some cheese fries with back in 1987, I love you!

Tonight we take another step in our journey of service.

This work I do comes with a responsibility to honor those who came before me and carry forward the baton of freedom, progress and democracy.

Our first executive arrived on the banks of the Delaware River on a ship named “Welcome” in 1682.

His name was William Penn. And he set out to build a place that would be welcoming for all and an “example to the nations.”

He was guided in his work by these core principles:

The freedom to worship as you please.

A government that was fair to its citizens.

And, free elections where the people chose their representatives.

Now, three-and-a-half centuries later, we are gathered here tonight with a duty to protect those principles and ensure that we do our part right now to pass them down to the next generation of Pennsylvanians.

We have a responsibility to show that we will be that model to others who are watching us for our lead.

I know that all feels at risk right now.

I know we are worried, fearful and angry that this country we love so much feels like it’s slipping away.

That the values we hold dear are being squandered by a President and his band of enablers hell-bent on injecting chaos, cruelty and corruption into our daily lives.

But we are here tonight because we choose not to be captive to the chaos, not to be a part of the cruelty, and not to turn a blind eye to the corruption.

We are here tonight to push back, to say enough is enough, to reclaim our power and to stand together in common purpose — the Pennsylvania way.

My faith teaches me that no one is required to complete the task, but neither are we free to refrain from it.

And so, with a firm commitment to staying in the game and doing my part, I stand before you tonight to again accept the Democratic nomination for Governor of the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania!

In these divisive times, and with a politically divided Legislature, we have shown that we can be the example Penn spoke of.

Here, we’ve shown that we can get stuff done and do it in a way that shows respect to all Pennsylvanians — no matter what you look like, where you come from, who you love, or who you pray to or choose not to pray to.

Together, we’ve increased investment in public education by 30% and drove those dollars out to the schools that need the most help.

We’ve increased the number of teachers after years of decline and expanded mental health services for nearly 800 schools across our state.

And, now, free breakfast for all students is the law here in Pennsylvania.

I’ve taken on the utility companies and told them to their face that the rate hikes they were seeking were pure greed. We won, and saved the people of Pennsylvania hundreds of millions of dollars on their energy bills.

Pennsylvania has the only growing economy in the northeast, creating nearly 23,000 new jobs in my time as Governor — more than all but two states in the nation last year.

And get this, we’ve done more economic development during my time as Governor than the previous 15 years combined!

At the same time, we are preparing our workforce for tomorrow — doubling our investment in vo-tech, apprenticeships and ending the college degree requirement to work in state government.

As of today, we’ve enrolled over 42,000 apprentices to open up new pathways of opportunity.

We’ve brought crime down to record lows while passing sweeping criminal justice reforms – because we believe in second chances.

We’ve shown that we can respect our cops and our communities. Every Pennsylvanian deserves to be safe and feel safe.

We put money back in people’s pockets. We cut taxes for small businesses and families trying to afford childcare.

We passed the largest targeted tax cut for seniors in nearly 2 decades.

And we brought Democrats and Republicans together to pass the most progressive tax reform in years by giving 940,000 working Pennsylvanians up to $800 back this year!

When insurance companies tried to jack up the cost of your healthcare, I stepped in and saved Pennsylvanians millions of dollars on insurance premiums. We even got them to finally cover mental health care!

And, when the eyes of the nation were on us after I-95 collapsed and the experts said it would take months to rebuild, we showed the tenacity and the technical know-how to get traffic moving again on I-95 in just 12 days, thanks to the amazing skill of our building trades.

So much of this has been possible because of the outstanding work of Speaker Joanna McClinton and Majority Leader Matt Bradford who join us here tonight. Your strength as leaders is unmatched and you and your colleagues should be proud of all we’ve accomplished together.

While we’ve made real progress, I am hungry for more.

I know people are hurting right now because of Trump’s policies in DC and Republican intransigence in Harrisburg.

We have more work to do. That’s why these races up and down the ballot matter so much.

We need to reelect Brian Munroe so we can keep Speaker McClinton in charge in the state House.

But we also need to play offense. Bucks County will be the epicenter of the fight to win a Democratic majority in the State Senate.

Send Eileen Albillar to the State Senate to work with Steve Santarsiero and Vince Hughes and she will support my effort to finally raise the minimum wage to $15/hour.

Give me a Democratic majority in the Senate and we will fully fund mass transit, build more affordable housing, and codify abortion rights into state law.

I’m hungry to do more and you can help me deliver, Bucks County!

But for all that we’ve gotten done, all the progress we’ve made and the lives we’ve improved, the plans we have for an even brighter tomorrow, we can’t ignore that we are facing very real challenges because of the chaos, cruelty, and corruption coming from Washington, DC.

Think about the chaos this President and his Administration have caused with the war in Iran — a war Donald Trump was wrong to get into, and has no idea how to get out of.

He’s spent $30 billion on this war so far, depleting America’s resources, straining our alliances, undermining our national security and failing to achieve the constantly shifting goals he lays out.

And while his failed leadership has made us less safe and more isolated abroad, here at home it has made us worse off.

This war has caused gas prices to soar to more than $4.60/gallon across Pennsylvania.

That’s on top of his tariffs which have made everything cost more — from the fertilizer our farmers rely on to the aluminum used by our craft brewers, to the prices we pay at the grocery store.

Instead of bringing down costs as he promised, Trump and his enablers are pinching the middle class and then saying he doesn’t care “even a little bit.”

That’s cruel – and we experience his cruelty here in Pennsylvania every day.

Think about the working mom I know who works as a home health aide, making $25,000 while supporting her two kids at home.

Even though she has a stable job – it doesn’t pay enough, especially right now, when costs are going up.

She relies on Medicaid for her health care coverage.

She’s doing everything right. Working hard. Trying to give her kids a good start.

But last year, Donald Trump got his allies in Congress – and people like my opponent in this race – to back his top priority: cutting Medicaid for people like that working mom.

Across Pennsylvania, nearly half a million people are going to lose health care – including 310,000 of our neighbors on Medicaid.

Imagine what will happen when she loses her health care.

Where will she go when she gets sick? What happens if she hurts her back after a long week at work? How will she take care of her kids?

Donald Trump and his enablers would have her suffer in pain – just to give a massive tax cut for those at the very top who just don’t need it.

That is cruelty.

Now think about the unmatched corruption of this President and his Administration.

They’ve built a government whose entire goal seems to be to help enrich his friends, his donors, and his own family and then to shield them all from paying the price for their illegal conduct.

It started on Day 1 when he pardoned those who broke the law and assaulted cops at the Capitol on January 6th.

Just yesterday we learned that he would continue whitewashing history by using your money to pay those who broke the law and betrayed our country from a new, illegal billion dollar fund he fleeced from the taxpayers.

Somehow, he can’t find the money to pay for healthcare, but he can steal from you to pay off the criminals who stormed the Capitol.

Under our Commander in Chief, the deals we make with other countries are being dictated by graft — not our national security interests.

We have a government that is not just embracing a culture of rampant corruption – they are stealing from the American people before our very eyes.

I know corruption when I see it. As your Attorney General I prosecuted those who broke the law, who stole from the taxpayers, and I applied the law without fear or favor.

Our Founders feared corruption – they knew that no law, no constitution, no doctrine could stop corruption if leaders did not act morally and with the common good of society in mind.

We’ve sadly learned in the last 18 months the lack of morals in the White House and the bounds of our laws, our courts, and our Congress.

But Pennsylvania – there’s an antidote to all of this.

Right here in our Commonwealth, we have the power to reign in the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of this Administration, and chart a better path forward for our Commonwealth and our country.

We have a lot of power and a lot of responsibility this year – and we should not lose sight of the privilege we have to live in Pennsylvania, the state that always decides it all.

I’m grateful for the hard work being done by the Chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, my friend Eugene Depasquale, and all who knock on doors, text their neighbors, and give their time for our party and our country.

We’ve gotten a lot done together – and we have a lot more work to do.

We cannot afford to give Trump a rubber stamp in the Governor’s Office – and that’s exactly what we’re up against.

My opponent is running on her complete and total allegiance to Donald Trump – because she’s more focused on serving him than fighting for you. She proudly wears her MAGA hat, while I wear the Pennsylvania jersey.

You and your families deserve a Governor who shares your values and who will always fight for you.

I’ll defend the union way of life, the right to choose, the right to marry who you love.

I’ll invest in your future.

I’ll always honor the oath I take to uphold the constitutions of the United States and our Commonwealth.

I’ll never back down from a fight — especially against a President trying to come for you.

You also deserve leaders in Congress who will focus on getting stuff done for you – not going to DC to say yes to whatever they’re told, no matter how much it hurts Pennsylvanians.

Look at this Republican Congress – a Congress of weak sycophants who have abdicated their constitutional responsibilities and abandoned all of us in order to serve the will of Donald Trump.

The only way we can expect to change this is to win in November and bring some accountability back to our nation’s capital.

I know it might seem dark right now. But we have the chance to bring light back to this country.

Think about what it will look like – after we flip four seats here in Pennsylvania and win all across this country in November – to have a Congress that actually fights for us.

We can roll back the Medicaid cuts and get back to investing in our communities and our families, not in reckless wars of choice.

We can pass a new Voting Rights Act and a national anti-gerrymandering law in order to protect our right to vote and our democracy.

By winning these congressional seats here, we can elect a Congress that does not shy away from the responsibility to expose wrongdoing and hold this President and his Administration accountable for their corruption.

We have a historic opportunity to flip the US House of Representatives – and I know we’re ready to do our part, Pennsylvania.

And in our state capital, we have the opportunity to keep moving our Commonwealth forward by protecting our State House majority and delivering a Democratic majority in the state Senate for the first time since 1992!

This election is a clear choice between their chaos, cruelty and corruption and our compassion.

We believe in free breakfast for our kids, they believe in cutting food assistance for our hungry neighbors.

We believe in the rule of law, they believe in self-dealing and enriching themselves at the expense of all of us.

We have the courage and the strength of our convictions. These Republican office holders who enable the President, they know better but they refuse to speak up, to stand up.

We believe in the right to vote, while they work to silence the voices of Black Americans and rig the system to get the outcome that perpetuates their rule.

We can defeat the darkness we feel today and find our way to the light of tomorrow.

Pennsylvania, it’s up to us this November. And you – all of you here tonight – have that power.

You have the power to change the direction of this country and chart a course to a better future.

We gather tonight in the midst of celebrating 250 years since we declared our independence from a king and set in motion the most extraordinary experiment in human governance — and created the greatest country on the face of the earth.

And in every generation since our founding, it’s been on our fellow Americans to organize and mobilize, to repair our world and pursue justice.

To perfect our union.

No one is coming to do this work for us — it’s on each of us.

And like those who came before us, we are willing to do our part…

We are willing to stand up…

And now, this is our moment.

To elect strong leaders that will fight for this democracy and deliver for all Pennsylvanians.

To be the check on the chaos, cruelty, and corruption.

To live out Penn’s vision and keep building a Commonwealth that’s warm and welcoming for all.

And to create real opportunity and advance the cause of real freedom.

This is our charge. This is our time. This is our task.

May G-d bless you all.

Let’s get to work.

Thank you!

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