Josh Shapiro Visits Abington After Governor Run Announcement In Pittsburgh

ABINGTON, PA — After making his gubernatorial run announcement earlier in the morning in western Pennsylvania, attorney general and Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro came home to Montgomery County Wednesday evening and made his official announcement to folks on this side of the commonwealth.

Shapiro, thus far the only Democrat to officially announce a run for Pennsylvania governor, stopped by Penn State's Abington campus for a rally around 6 p.m. Wednesday before launching his "Big Fights Bus Tour" across the state.

Earlier on Wednesday, Shapiro's campaign announced that following his formal announcement in Pittsburgh around 11 a.m., the candidate would be coming back to Abington to make things official in southeastern Pennsylvania around 6 p.m. that evening.

The campaign posted photos of Wednesday's visit to Penn State Abington on Shapiro's Facebook page. The images were accompanied by a post from Shapiro stating, "Montgomery County is my home. It's where I grew up, where Lori and I are raising our four kids — and where I'm launching my campaign to be the next Governor of Pennsylvania. Let's get in the game, MontCo."

Shapiro and his wife, Lori, were high school sweethearts. They are raising their family in Abington Township.

Shapiro is the first Democrat so far to announce a run for Pennsylvania governor. The incumbent, Democrat Tom Wolf, is constitutionally barred from running for a third term.

Shapiro has served as Pennsylvania's attorney general since first being elected in 2016. He was reelected to a second term last year.

Shapiro says that during his upcoming "Big Fights Bus Tour," he would be highlighting his record of "taking on the big fights, standing up to those in power, and getting things done for Pennsylvanians," according to a campaign news release.

On Thursday, he was scheduled to come to Philadelphia to visit Mother Bethel AME — the oldest Black church in America — where he would meet with faith leaders and discuss issues facing communities of color such as voting rights, something Shapiro's campaign says it worries is currently under attack by some in the state legislature.

Prior to becoming attorney general, Shapiro served as a Montgomery County commissioner, and before that he served as a legislator in the state House of Representatives.