The Democrat from Montgomery County announced his candidacy for governor in 2022 earlier this month. As governor, Shapiro vowed to expand public education and add mental health counselors in schools, hire 2k police officers, and boost green energy jobs. But Shapiros faith and, now, Gab are also a part of his stump speech for a reason. (Sipora died in 2017.) He says he doesnt want to tell anyone what to believe. (Ill be a governor that relies on my faith and my upbringing to actually look out for everybody, Shapiro says. It also stars his four kids and his wife, Lori, whom he refers to as his high school sweetheart., Josh Shapiro embraces his wife, Lori Shapiro, on stage after giving a victory speech to supporters at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Penn., Nov. 8 2022. Shapiro defeated Republican Senator John Rafferty after receiving 3.4 million votes, the most in Pennsylvania history. ", Shapiro responded in a campaign ad that described Mastriano as one of Donald Trumps strongest supporters., It continues: He wants to end vote by mail, and he led the fight to audit the 2020 election. Anyone of any religious stripe was welcome.. This past November, Montgomery County voters rewarded my efforts to reform the status quo, and I was re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote. He was the point guard so he was always the leader of everything, Eisenberg said. From "Bonusgate" to "Kids For Cash" and now to "Porngate" we can't help but feel frustrated with our democracy and its leaders. But Matt Handel, a onetime Republican activist who left the party after Donald Trump was elected president, said that while Shapiro made enemies in the statehouse, he never let it get to him. Oct. 8A father and son from Florida were arrested this week for committing multiple "distraction-style" burglaries throughout Western Pennsylvania, including in Butler, Indiana and Westmoreland counties, Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced. mail Email. Why didnt his obituaries say so? As attorney general, Shapiros report on the sexual abuse of children by priests and coverups by the Catholic Church made international news. We guard Friday nights., Mastriano, a state senator who is widely seen as the archetype of the rise of Christian nationalism in the GOP, is courting MAGA-aligned Evangelicals and other conservative Christians. I want to be able to walk in on day one with a team thats ready to go, thats prepared to get to to yes whether on a bill or an economic development project or on a community initiative and get our government working again, Shapiro said. They say that maybe he doesnt follow our religion, but because he does have a belief, hes a religious person.. He became a mentor to the inchoate politician, who several years ago recruited Groens mother, a Holocaust survivor, to speak to incarcerated teens. Shapiro is too strategic, too in control for that. Married to my high school sweetheart. Shapiro plans to post mezuzahs and have a kosher kitchen in the governors official residence Josh Shapiro speaks at his swearing in as governor of Pennsylvania on January 17, 2023. Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images In some communities where one might think I wouldnt be welcome, and I speak about my faith, I find that it actually allows me to connect with people on a deeper level, he says. Most Popular #261199. Shapiros friends and neighbors say his faith is not just genuine, but deep. No I really try not to take any of these things personally, and stay focused on what really matters, which is the people Im trying to represent.. I had been the chief lawyer for the city of Philadelphia in the early 80s, recalled Aronchick, who became a mentor to Shapiro. Josh Shapiro rose to prominence in 2016 when he was first elected as Pennsylvania attorney general. Shapiro attended Akiba Hebrew Academy, now known as Jack M. No matter if its a friend or a political supporter or a colleague. They Josh Shapiro He didnt come out of nowhere. I think that Governor-elect Shapiro has a distinct advantage over any of his predecessors, having come from the legislature. Democrat Josh Shapiro sworn in as Pennsylvanias 48th governor by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA Jan. 17, 2023 The Capitol Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia Inquirer How a constitutional amendment gets on the ballot in Pennsylvania by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA Jan. 13, 2023 The Capitol Shapiro, a type-A attorney general running to be the Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, rocks in his pew. Shapiro is wearing a thin red string around his wrist, the kind that little old ladies hand out in Jerusalem when they bless visitors to the Western Wall. Pennsylvania Gov. Lorraine Hansberrys second play had a white Jewish protagonist. I dont believe any of them were Jewish. I was at a hunt club in Butler County not too long ago. "There is no fight too big, no mountain too high to climb," Shapiro said while on tour in Beaver, Pennsylvania on November 1. Shapiro met his wife of 25 years in the 9th grade at Hebrew academy. The shooting had tested his faith. I've held dozens of meetings and forums across the Commonwealth in the past year. Shapiro had a short list of lieutenant governor candidates, which included Sims and Rep. Patty Kim, of Harrisburg, who This page was last changed on 5 February 2023, at 19:16. Shapiros Jewish expression, she said, was a way of actually relating to religious conservatives. That is not freedom. Look who I saw! she said in an email, photos of hugs attached.). Democrat Josh Shapiro, who won the Pennsylvania governors race, addresses the media after casting his ballot on Nov. 8, 2022. Shapiro believes Americans should be forced to be complicit in the. He is the face of entitlement. His surrogates pivoted to claiming Shapiro was not a genuine Jew, with. All content 1992 - 2021 Vote Smart unless otherwise attributed - Privacy Policy. Josh Shapiro rose to prominence in 2016 when he was first elected as Pennsylvania attorney general. During the encounter, which Groen and Shapiro did not make public at the time, the teens went from standoffish to hugging 93-year-old Sipora Groen after hearing her story. 49 years. I think that demonstrates that the hype that Senator Obama had a problem with the Jewish community was just that it was hype. Shapiros own parents, Steve and Judy, as well as other family and close friends were seated directly in front and facing the new governor. See full bio . Eisenberg was impressed by Shapiros leadership but not surprised Shapiro had been pulling together kids from across the playground since first grade, when they first met. Look at all hes done. I also led by example. With our two year old, Lori and I moved back home in 2003 to the community where I grew up. Shapiros gubernatorial campaign launch last April was an ad in which he declared, I make it home Friday nights for Sabbath dinner, while the camera closed on challahs. Shapiros parents set a very good example for me to live a life of faith and service, he said. Josh Shapiro delivers eulogy for Temple officer Chris Fitzgerald. More Campaign Perhaps Shapiros most direct antecedent is Joe Lieberman, the Orthodox former Connecticut senator who was Al Gores vice presidential running mate in 2000. she and her husband loved Israel more than Jews did. Her father took part in the 1963 March on In a sign of his polish with Pennsylvanians, Shapiros margin of victory was substantially wider than that of John Fetterman, the Democrat elected to the states open Senate spot. Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee, is a first-class fundraiser with a record of winning tough statewide races. Shapiro was born on June 20, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, and grew up in Pennsylvania. WebIf one of Pennsylvanias Senate seats becomes vacant, Gov. As AG, he has restored integrity to an office badly in need of reform and taken on big fights for the people. Tom Wolf just endorse Josh Shapiro for governor in 2022? I knocked on every door, Shapiro recalled to Philadelphia Magazine in 2007. There were, I dont know, easily over 1,000 people I dont know exactly how many people were there. Alongside his running mate Austin Davis, Josh is ready to work with every Pennsylvanian to move our Commonwealth forward. He is leading on criminal justice reform, bringing activists and law enforcement together to launch a new statewide police misconduct data-base, taking on employers who steal from Pennsylvania workers. At the Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival, you will find a palate-dazzling smorgasbord of cuisines and cocktails in which to indulge. They have four children. Shapiro wears a thin red string on his wrist that's fraying around the edges. Talking about his own relationship with God is something that helps Shapiro reach out to people, whether theyre influential Black pastors in Philadelphia or rank-and-file Republican voters in western Pennsylvania. Fresh out of his bar mitzvah, a 13-year-old Shapiro looked forward to his chats with Mark Aronchick, who was a leader with Joshs parents, Steven and Judi, in the movement for Soviet Jewry in the Philadelphia area. He is the son of a father serving in the Navy and was raised in Dresher, a part of Upper Dublin Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. While we won this race and by the way, we won it pretty convincingly I want you to know, the job is not done, the task is not complete, Shapiro said during his victory speech, prompting 15 seconds of cheers and applause. He said, You know, Im not a legislator. Shapiro was pleasant, they say, but clearly on a track for greater things. Shapiro and his family spent Monday volunteering at the Alexander Grass Campus for Jewish Life, which was hosting a Martin Luther King Day celebration for the region. No one ever worked for me who was as bright and focused, with such steely determination, Torricelli. Luria and two others just left Congress: , who was defeated in last years primary after redistricting, and Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who made, the transition this year to leading the American Jewish Committee. Hoeffel later told the Philadelphia Inquirer, You dont want to turn your back on him. But we actually had a good conversation about faith and family., Former Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. (JTA) On the day before he was set to be sworn in as Pennsylvanias governor, Josh Shapiro had somewhere important to be: the Jewish community center in the state capital of Harrisburg. Josh David Shapiro Popularity . There's nothing more important to a democracy than the citizens' trust and confidence in those elected to govern. Negrin is perhaps best known in Pennsylvania for his tenure in Philadelphia politics, when he first worked as executive director of the Board of Revision of Taxes, then served as deputy mayor and city managing director. Shapiro was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2022 election. Thats the way he is.. But that doesnt mean hes certain of victory in November. He went to the University of Rochester, qualifying for the Division III basketball team, but soon realized that excellence on the Akiba court was mediocrity in an NCAA setting, she recalled. This was a pretty difficult group of kids, I dont mean problematic, but kids who like to argue, to debate every point, she said. (Mark Makela/Getty Images). It was the bloodiest attack on Jews in the history of the United States. A Shapiro embarked on a final six-day tour across 25 towns in a final surge to meet with voters in the week lead-up to the election. As background, Josh was born in 1973 and spent his childhood on a naval base while his dad worked as a medical officer. They seem above politics because they exude pride, said Scott Lasensky, a professor of American Jewish studies at the University of Maryland, about Shapiro and other Jewish politicians who demonstrate comfort with their identity. In his first publicized campaign ad, Shapiro said: I understand people feel like our politics are divided and broken right now, but we cant just take our ball and go home. , that he believed he would do well nationally. Shapiro reportedly refused to run on a ticket with him, Democrats abandoned Hoeffel, and Hoeffel quit the race. He immediately jumped on a state police plane to Pittsburgh. Luria and two others just left Congress: Andy Levin of Michigan, who was defeated in last years primary after redistricting, and Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who made the transition this year to leading the American Jewish Committee. He continues to call out the dangerous lies that undermine our democracy and provide steady, strong, and competent leadership to protect voting rights in Pennsylvania. I'm determined to bring common sense reforms to our criminal justice system, protect victims and be smart on crime. And this guy is super dangerous, really extreme, and must be defeated.". Josh Shapiro (D) will appoint an interim senator. My hard work paid off and against the odds and conventional political wisdom, I was elected as a progressive Democrat, defeating a well-known Republican in Montgomery County. I wrote changes to House rules that ended wasteful perks like taxpayer-funded private car leases, fought for greater transparency as a co-author of the Open Records Law, required time for public input before voting on bills so laws weren't passed in secret and I shed light on a $200 million slush fund legislators squirreled away for themselves. As Shapiro is sworn in Tuesday on a stack of three Hebrew Bibles including the one that was on the bimah when a gunman massacred 11 Jewish worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018 the novelty becomes reality: A Jewish day school grad and dad is now one of the most influential elected officials in the United States. That meant campaigning heavily where other Democrats dont often win and investing in communities across the state., Jill Zipin, a longtime Shapiro backer who leads Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania, said Mastrianos Christian nationalism did not play well in a state that was founded on religious freedoms. I dont think I can respond to some unnamed source, he says. WebAnswer (1 of 3): Josh Shapiro is the attorney general of Pennsylvania and is the likely Democratic nominee for governor in 2022. And I think hes the exact opposite.) But he refuses to cede Pennsylvanias churches to his opponent. Josh wanted to know about running a big city. Working with law enforcement partners at the local, state, and federal level, hes arrested thousands of mid- and high-level drug dealers while getting thousands of illegal guns off our streets. 'That's my guy. Todd Eisenberg, now a Montgomery County judge, recalled playing basketball with Shapiro for the high school team. | He has staked his campaign on the idea that voters will reject Mastriano not only because hes conservative on abortion or the economy or some other issue but also because, he argues, he peddles racist things, he peddles antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, you name it.. I didnt look at it as an American Jew and feel offended personally. And hed do it by being a new kind of Jewish politician. In 2016, Josh successfully ran to be Pennsylvanias Attorney General. At a rally, Mastriano said: "Josh Shapiro stands for all that is wrong with the Democrat Party. Shapiros plans for his inauguration are laced with Jewish significance. Besides, Shapiro is a tad superstitious. He says that his campaign was getting a head start on the general election, despite the fact that the tone of the spot was less hard-edged than the ones he would put on air after the primary. People who know Shapiro say that the same ambition that pushes him to take on big fights (and might fuel a future run for the White House; he insists the rumors of his interest are not true) also has a downside. He was born to Steve and Judi Shapiro on June 20, 1973. Akela Lacy July 12 2019, 8:18 p.m. Just very, very moving.. Devoutly Jewish, Josh Shapiro wants to persuade voters that his opponents Christian nationalism doesnt represent the values of the state. Despite his sufficient lead, Shapiro embarked on a six-day bus tour across Pennsylvania to meet with voters and further push his campaign policies. Shapiro paid special note to the Temple staff present in the building and Fitzgerald's father Joel and mother Pauline. He was the Mastriano also mocked the Jewish school Shapiro attended and where he sends his four children. "I also see a whole lot of work we need to do to defend our fundamental freedoms, and protect our democracy.". He was in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. I'll stand up for consumers who get ripped off. His bosses remember a guy in his early 20s who was soon supervising staffers, and his colleagues recall not minding. Height. I think that demonstrates that the hype that Senator Obama had a problem with the Jewish community was just that it was hype. Oscar Isaac and Rachel Brosnahan are reviving it. Shapiro soon was looking elsewhere: He ran for and won a spot on the three-member Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, where he was elected chairman, effectively the mayor of the populous and prosperous suburban Philadelphia area. Who is Josh Shapiro? I felt very strongly, Shapiro tells me in the basement of the church after his speech, his navy blue suit perfectly fitted and his hair slicked back just so. 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