Governor
Josh Shapiro is the 48th Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Since being sworn in to the Office of Governor in January 2023, Governor Shapiro has brought people together to get stuff done and defend Pennsylvanians’ fundamental freedoms. In his first 18 months in office, despite working with the only politically divided legislature in the nation, Governor Shapiro has hit the ground running and delivered meaningful results for the people of Pennsylvania.
Governor Shapiro believes all Pennsylvanians should have the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed, and the actions he’s taken in his first year and a half have been rooted in that promise. He signed an executive order on his first day in office announcing that 92 percent of state government jobs are open to people without a college degree – because in Pennsylvania, we value what skills and experience someone brings to the job, not arbitrary requirements. The first bill he signed into law was bipartisan legislation to require insurers to cover preventive breast and ovarian cancer screenings for high-risk women at no cost.
The Governor has made clear his commitment to invest in quality schools, safe communities, and an economy that works for all. Under his leadership, he brought Democrats and Republicans together to invest more in public education than ever before, hire hundreds of new State Police troopers, and invest millions in economic development to create jobs in communities too often forgotten and left behind.
Now, when children in Pennsylvania go to school, they can get free breakfast and there are more mental health counselors and resources available when they need them. When those students graduate from high school, they have more opportunities to chart their own course – whether in the workforce, through an apprenticeship program, or at college – and their communities are safer and more prosperous.
He’s consistently trying to make government work more effectively and efficiently – and ensure there’s no wrong door for Pennsylvanians who need to access their state government. That led him to implement automatic voter registration and develop the Commonwealth’s first ever in-house digital services team – CODE PA – to develop better tools for government officials and the public alike. He reformed the permitting process, eliminated backlogs, and showed his GSD attitude when he put together the team that reopened I-95 in just 12 days after a portion of the highway collapsed and the experts said it would take months to repair.
Governor Shapiro is investing in the people of Pennsylvania, but he also understands that in creating opportunity, people shouldn’t be defined by their worst day. That’s why he delivered on his promise to reform the criminal justice system, ensuring probation serves as a tool to help Pennsylvanians re-enter their communities and paving the way for more Pennsylvanians to get the second chances they deserve.
As Governor, he has made it a priority to represent all Pennsylvanians, traveling to communities all across the Commonwealth and meeting Pennsylvanians from all walks of life.
Through it all, Governor Shapiro continues – as he’s done throughout his career – to take on big fights, bring people together to get stuff done, and defend Pennsylvanians’ rights and freedoms.
As Governor, he’s built on his work as Attorney General, when he successfully defended the right to vote, protected reproductive freedom, held powerful corporations – like opioid manufacturers – accountable, and oversaw the groundbreaking investigation of sexual abuse into the Catholic Church.
He served as Attorney General from 2017 to 2023, Chair of the Board of Commissioners in Montgomery County from 2011 to 2017, and State Representative from 2005 to 2011.
Governor Shapiro grew up in Pennsylvania, watching his parents serve their community – his father is a pediatrician and served our nation in the navy, and his mother is a retired educator. Their example and his faith inspired him to enter into public service.
Governor Shapiro is married to his high-school sweetheart, Lori. She is proud to serve the Commonwealth as its First Lady and is doing meaningful work with nonprofits and volunteer organizations all across this Commonwealth. They are the proud parents of four children: Sophia (22), Jonah (19), Max (15), and Reuben (13).
The Governor leads the state government. The Governor signs or vetoes bills passed by the legislature, proposes the state budget, appoints agency heads and, in many states, judges, and commands the state's National Guard. In most states the Governor can also grant pardons.