Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) may be seeking reelection as the governor of Pennsylvania next month, but he may be setting his eyes on higher ambitions by starting a federal political action committee.
Shapiro’s establishment of the New Path PAC is the loudest indication yet that he is considering a run for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination, despite his repeated insistence that he will serve a full four-year term if reelected as Pennsylvania’s chief executive.
But his gubernatorial campaign aides and political staff are downplaying the 2028 presidential bid speculation, contending Shapiro’s New Path PAC will provide him with the opportunity to raise and donate directly to Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidates he has endorsed and wants to support financially.
“Gov. Shapiro knows the chaos, cruelty, and corruption in D.C. is hurting working families all across Pennsylvania – but he also knows that by winning this November, we have the power to place a check on Donald Trump and put this country on a new path,” New Path PAC executive director Marshall Cohen told the Washington Examiner. “That path runs right through Pennsylvania – and Gov. Shapiro is fighting to win up and down the ballot this November to elect leaders and deliver a congressional majority that will actually fight for working families and move our country forward.”
A second Shapiro source told the Washington Examiner, “heading into the final sprint of these midterm elections – and with Pennsylvania at the center of Democrats’ opportunity to flip the U.S. House this November – the governor has added a new tool to his efforts, launching New Path PAC in order to provide more direct support to these critical congressional campaigns in our Commonwealth.”
Regardless, Shapiro has been open about his presidential aspirations in the past, writing in his 2026 book, Where We Keep the Light, that he contemplated contesting the 2024 Democratic nod after then-President Joe Biden decided to suspend his own campaign, ultimately opting not to.
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“Maybe there would be a process the party would engage in to replace him? Did I want to be part of that?” Shapiro wrote.
While Shapiro has an average 23-percentage-point advantage over Republican gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity, his odds are longer for becoming the 2028 Democratic presidential standard-bearer, averaging 6% support to front-runner former Vice President Kamala Harris’s 26%, according to RealClearPolitics.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
