Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro wins gubernatorial race : NPR

Pennsylvania candidate for governor Josh Shapiro campaigns during a rally at Bucks County Community College November 6 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

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Win McNamee/Getty Images

Pennsylvania candidate for governor Josh Shapiro campaigns during a rally at Bucks County Community College November 6 in Newtown, Pennsylvania.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro won the Commonwealth governorship handily, beating Sen. Doug Mastriano, according to a race call from The Associated Press.

Shapiro, like many Democrats this cycle, campaigned to protect abortion rights. Both houses of the Pennsylvania legislature have GOP majorities, though that could change this cycle. In 2017, sitting Democratic Governor Tom Wolf vetoed a bill banning 20-week abortions.

Shapiro has also promoted his crime record while serving as the Commonwealth’s top law enforcement official. He received endorsements from the Philadelphia police union and from Republicans discouraged by Mastriano’s support for overturning the 2020 election.

By standard measure, Shapiro rode through much of the election, backed by a record sum of money. He ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and enjoyed a significant fundraising advantage throughout the race, spending more than $59 million as of Oct. 24. He used those deep chests to fill the airwaves and ran his first commercial targeting Mastriano during the primary. This was seen as a Democratic strategy to spur on opponents seen as more extreme, in hopes that they would be easier to beat.

A native of Montgomery County, outside of Philadelphia, Shapiro is the former chairman of the Montgomery County Commissioners and a former state representative.

Shapiro’s victory also demonstrates the limits of Republicans aligned with former President Donald Trump. Despite the former president’s endorsement, Mastriano raised less than $6 million for his campaign. The Central Pennsylvania state senator eschewed traditional media and appealed directly to his supporters at town halls and on social media.

Mastriano’s unconventional team also included several advisers who identify as “prophets”. His campaign has been endorsed by a rabbi who propagated Q-Anon conspiracies as well as the founder of AuditTheVote PA, a group spreading false claims about election security.

Mastriano, who took a busload of people to Washington, DC on January 6, 2021, was subpoenaed by the House committee investigating the attack on the Capitol.

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