HARRISBURG, Pa. (Erie News Now) – On Wednesday, Pennsylvania Governor-elect, Josh Shapiro and Lieutenant Governor-elect, Austin Davis, discussed transition efforts alongside Governor Tom Wolf.
Wednesday’s transition announcements come just over a week after Shapiro defeated Republican Doug Mastriano in the gubernatorial race by a margin of over 700,000 votes.
“The people of this commonwealth came together and they spoke up in a decisive and historic way, standing up to extremism, defending real freedom, and searching for common ground,” said Shapiro. “Today, I stand before you humbled and honored and ready to make this transition to serve as Pennsylvania’s next governor,” Shapiro added.
Shapiro said his campaign platform saw support from Democrats, Republicans and Independents and that he intends to lead the commonwealth with a vision that benefits all Pennsylvanians- regardless of party affiliation.
“Pennsylvanians- Republican, Democrat, Independent, came together in this election. And I know that they want to now continue to come together to move our commonwealth forward,” said Shapiro. “We’re going to assemble a talented, hardworking, capable administration- one that looks like Pennsylvania, and one that is ready to go to work,” he added.
Shapiro, who is set to be sworn in on Jan. 17, will be the first Pennsylvania governor since 1966 who belongs to the same party as his predecessor. His running mate, Austin Davis, will be the state’s first African American Lieutenant Governor.
“With this historic win, we are proof that Pennsylvania will always be a place where all are welcomed and where all will have the opportunity to succeed and live the American dream,” said Davis. “We ran to create an economy that works for everyone, to help working class folks deal with the struggles of inflation, to make sure folks have more money in their pockets, to make sure that every child has the opportunity to get a quality education regardless of their zip code, and that our working families have more opportunities to succeed. Because of the good people of Pennsylvania, starting today, we get to work on making those things a reality,” he added.
Shapiro commended his soon-to-be predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, for the financial success the commonwealth is experiencing.
“After years of fiscally responsible leadership, we’ve gone from a $2.5 billion deficit to a nearly $5 billion surplus, with another nearly $5 billion in the rainy-day fund,” said Shapiro. “Governor Wolf has laid a very strong foundation fiscally, that gives us now an opportunity to make critical investments in growing our economy, in public safety, investing in our schools and opportunities for all,” Shapiro added.
“Pennsylvania is in a really good place right now. Over the past years, our commonwealth has made some real progress,” said Wolf, who also pledged to work with Shapiro’s team and ensure a smooth transition. “My job now, and the job of my staff, is to make the transition as smooth and easy as possible,” Wolf added.
Shapiro commented on working with the Republican-controlled state Senate, which unanimously elected Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore, yesterday. Ward is the first woman to serve that role in Pennsylvania history.
“I’m looking forward to working with her, we had a very good and constructive dialog. Obviously, there’ll be a lot more conversation to have in the coming weeks and months, so that I can best understand the priorities of her caucus in the state Senate, she can understand ours, and I’m convinced we’ll find common ground. I’ve got a history of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get things done,” said Shapiro.
Shapiro says his team will announce its transition leadership board next week and that they’re actively searching for members to join the transition and administration.
“We are here to invite Pennsylvanians of all backgrounds and political perspectives to apply to join our transition and join our administration,” said Shapiro.
More information on transition and administration positions can be found at shapirodavis.org.
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