Montco power Josh Shapiro endorses Wolf

Montgomery County Commission Chairman Josh Shapiro, a rising Democratic leader in southeast Pennsylvania, has endorsed Tom Wolf for governor in the May 20 primary.

In doing so, Shapiro bypassed two fellow residents of the county who also are seeking the nomination: state Treasurer Rob McCord and U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz. He made the endorsement in an email to supporters.

Shapiro said in an interview that he was not implying criticism of the other candidates, but simply believes that Wolf, a York businessman who was state revenue secretary, is "uniquely prepared" to follow through on the promise of reform in Harrisburg.

What's clear to me is that solutions to our pressing problems exist but without leaders who are truly committed to reform and can build a coalition around change, little gets done," Shapiro wrote in his email.

"Reform is deeper than campaign promises. It's about having the resolve and determination to make real change and a commitment to seeing it through. Tom will put his capital and reputation on the line to take on the entrenched interests."

Among other reforms, Wolf has proposed a complete ban on gifts for lawmakers and state officials, as well as subjecting the hiring of outside legal counsel to competitive bidding instead of backroom decisions.