For the newly inaugurated Gov. Shapiro, now comes the hard part | Editorial

Josh Shapiro, who took the oath of office as Pennsylvania’s 48th governor on Tuesday, gave an inaugural address that emphasized the themes of his campaign: the need for all Pennsylvanians to unite, the urgency of securing critical rights, and the necessity of continued progress on such vital kitchen table issues as jobs, infrastructure, and education.

While his opponent in last year’s election, Doug Mastriano, flogged false claims of voter fraud and pushed for an abortion ban, Shapiro pledged to give every Pennsylvanian the tools and opportunities they need to live the lives they deserve, without interfering in their medical decisions or telling them what to believe.

Unlike his predecessor, former Gov. Tom Wolf, Shapiro’s ascent surprised few political observers. Shapiro skillfully navigated the cursus honorum of Pennsylvania politics, serving as a state representative, county commissioner, and attorney general, en route to the governor’s mansion. His known interest in the race cleared the Democratic primary field. His record of achievement and electoral success has some of his most ardent backers already thinking about a White House run.

Before Shapiro even entertains making that kind of move, however, he needs to successfully fulfill the central promise of his campaign: delivering what he called “real freedom” for all Pennsylvanians — the kind of freedom that comes with having access to a good education, a living-wage job, and a safe community.

It won’t be easy. The state Senate’s Republican majority has already begun pushing their own agenda, which includes a constitutional amendment to require voter ID. The success or failure of a years-long effort to change the state’s fair funding formula for public education is expected to receive a ruling in the near future, providing an early leadership test.

Still, Shapiro has made some encouraging moves already.

His first executive order, for example, eliminates the college degree requirement from tens of thousands of state jobs. While a college education is important and ought to be encouraged, it also represents an obstacle to employment for many otherwise qualified Pennsylvania residents.

He’s also made good on his promise to reinforce Pennsylvania’s democracy. With Philadelphia’s own Al Schmidt serving as secretary of the commonwealth, Shapiro has someone who has already proven willing to defend the state’s democracy despite the personal cost: Schmidt, a Republican, drew the ire of election deniers after he stood up for the city’s secure electoral process during the 2020 presidential election.

Shapiro’s early decisions aren’t just good policy, they are also good politics. The governor’s emphasis on reaching out across the political spectrum may frustrate some progressives in his party, but it is a smart and necessary part of governing in a swing state. While Shapiro rightly credited Wolf with leaving behind a significant surplus, left unsaid was how difficult it was for Wolf to direct state funds to many of his priorities, with partisan budget stalemates often frustrating his agenda.

In addition to finding a way to corral the General Assembly, Shapiro will also need to reform some of the state’s problem agencies. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has long requested significant additional funding in order to maintain the state’s roads and bridges, some of which are literally collapsing. At the same time, PennDot has pursued expensive highway expansion projects, even when local governments are opposed or its plans have received national scrutiny for wastefulness.

The state also lags behind on job growth. While the quite literally gilded halls of the state Capitol speak to Pennsylvania’s history as a center of industry and the prodigious wealth produced in our textile mills, coal mines, steelworks, and railroads, the commonwealth has struggled to adapt to industrial decline.

Reversing decades of economic stagnation will not be an easy task, but it is one Shapiro will have to work toward if he is to deliver on his campaign promises.

Throughout his career, Shapiro has made taking on entrenched interests on behalf of the public good a key part of his appeal. From fighting for victims of sexual abuse to intervening to ensure Pennsylvanians can access medical care, the state’s new governor has prioritized being on the right side of history.

He is going to need to continue doing so to meet the challenges ahead.

Editor’s Note: Because of an editing error, an earlier version of this editorial mischaracterized the nature of population trends in Pennsylvania since 1930. The number of residents in the state has grown by more than a third since that year.