Gov. Josh Shapiro’s bus tour continued its roll through the Commonwealth as the Democrat makes his case for reelection, a change in leadership in the U.S. Congress, and a flip of the Pennsylvania State Senate to give him a trifecta.
Speaking before a crowd of approximately 200 supporters in Lancaster on Friday morning, the governor highlighted some of his achievements regarding the state’s economy and education system, before moving into his stump speech.
He emphasized the importance of securing a legislative trifecta in Harrisburg where Democrats would hold the governor’s mansion and majority control of both branches of the General Assembly.
While recognizing local state representatives, Shapiro made it a point to call out state Sen. James Malone who is running for reelection in the 36th Senatorial District against Republican Rep. Tom Jones.
As part of his quest for that trifecta, Shapiro called Malone “the key to being able to do a whole lot more” in Harrisburg.
“Because if you send Malone back to the state senate, you get a two-fer,” he said. “Number one, you get an outstanding state senator who’s going to continue to serve his community well. But here’s the other thing: you get. You send him back, then you’re responsible for the trifecta, and the trifecta isn’t just about achieving something politically; it’s about making people’s lives better.”
Shapiro said that with a trifecta, his first order of business in January will be to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. The governor also intimated that another bill would be to codify abortion rights.
“You send Malone back, you make progress in Harrisburg,” he said. “You keep getting stuff done,” referring to his GSD slogan. “You keep our Commonwealth moving forward.”
The governor then turned his sights on President Donald Trump, returning to his themes of chaos and corruption in the administration.
“I oppose a war we had no business getting into,” he said, “and a war he has no earthly idea how to get out of. How about the tariffs? You’re paying a $3,100 chaos tax in America because of Donald Trump.”
Shapiro did not mention his gubernatorial challenger Stacy Garrity at all during the 25-minute address, rather spending time encouraging voters to flip the balance of power.
Calling Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-11) “an empty suit,” he said that Lancastrians should send Nancy Mannion to Washington instead.
“You here in Lancaster County have a huge role to play,” Shapiro continued. “The chaos and cruelty have to stop. When you have an executive (Trump) sitting behind the desk, working against you, that’s a recipe for bad things to happen.
“When I’m sitting behind the desk, I’m only thinking about how to make your life better.”
Malone emphasized how important it is to have the governor come to Lancaster.
“It gives us a broad megaphone and really activate all of our constituents,” he said. Malone spoke of the advocacy he has done for the district and said that is the main reason he should get a full term in Harrisburg.
“If you want that to continue, then reelect me,” he said. “Because that’s something I do. And it’s something that my opponent has traditionally not done.”
Pat Gerlach, a former Republican who now is a district leader in Donegal, attested to Malone’s work in the northern Lancaster County district.
“I don’t know that (Jones) has brought home the bacon the way that James had, because he didn’t know how. James went around to all the municipalities and taught them how do you apply to get that new fire truck. You know, they got this big fund for fire trucks, and you have to fill out this form, and you got to talk to these people. But if you do that background work, you can get the money for the fire truck, and that’s what he did in spades.”
Shapiro also addressed the issue of election security in the Commonwealth.
“I established a task force more than a year ago because we anticipated Donald Trump would try and undermine our elections and try and thwart the will of the people” he said. “And look, if past is prolog, he’s going to do it here in Pennsylvania. We’re prepared. We’ve also been prepared should they dispatch federal troops.
“If you still have a mail-in ballot, drop it in a drop box. Or if you choose to go vote at the polling place, you’re going to have a safe and secure experience. You should vote for the candidate that you think is best. And of course, I’d be proud to earn your vote.”
