The emergence of Josh Shapiro and the passing of Peter Shapiro
On November 8, 2022, Josh Shapiro crushed far-right MAGA Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano by 14.8 percent to become Pennsylvania’s third Jewish governor. He had previously served as the state’s attorney general from 2017-23, as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners from 2012-17 and as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representative from 2004 to 2012 where he was first elected at the age of 30.
Josh Shapiro has never lost an election and is a rising star in the Democratic Party. He is frequently talked about as a potential 2028 centrist presidential candidate.
Governor Shapiro continues to have strong approval ratings among Pennsylvania voters after 18 months as Governor. His approval rating hovers around 60% (77% among Democrats, 51% from Independents and 27% from Republicans).
Voters consider the expedited reopening of the collapsed section of I-95 his major accomplishment. While rebuilding the bridge in less than two weeks is his signature success, it is not the only example of his getting stuff done. There is a feeling among voters that he is delivering on the campaign promises he made, including providing property tax and rent-payer relief, making historic investments in K-12 education, expanding mental health services, enabling the hiring of more police and providing universal free breakfast and lunch for students in K-12.
According to a January 25, 2024 Associated Press story by Marc Levy, “Governor Josh Shapiro has a new slogan for how he wants to run Pennsylvania — and it’s not fit for kids’ ears.” “We’ve got a GSD attitude in the Shapiro administration that means we focus on getting, you know, stuff done,” he told a news conference…. There are children here, so we’ll just say “stuff.”
That was the G-rated version of the line he’s been saying in recent months. Occasionally, Shapiro just comes out and says it: “Get s*** done.” The religious family-focused Shapiro is not someone you’d expect to cuss in public. Shapiro has used the phrase during a few other speeches, usually substituting “stuff.”
He has used the initials “GSD” to title his latest statewide media tour and on his website to tout his accomplishments and his efforts to make government work more efficiently and getting things done for people. “Right now, there’s a cynicism that’s gripped our politics. And much of that cynicism is due to people not feeling progress, not seeing I should say deliverables for them and making their lives better,” Shapiro said in an interview. “We’re taking a different approach in Pennsylvania.”
Swearing is not completely new to politics. U.S. Sen. John Fetterman cussed routinely on social media while on his way to winning the Senate seat in 2022. This type of language seems almost expected coming from Fetterman given his blunt and irreverent style. The fact that this type of language is not expected from the straight-laced Shapiro may be the reason the public appears to be responding favorably towards it.
Another politician with the last name Shapiro recently passed away at age 71. New Jersey’s Peter Shapiro shared various attributes with Josh Shapiro — they were the same religion, had the same steadfast commitment to public service, both were policy wonks and both had very early career electoral success
“Peter was an esteemed public servant who, at just 23 years old, made history by becoming the youngest New Jerseyan ever elected to the General Assembly. Over the course of his storied career, and especially as the firstever County Executive of his beloved Essex County, Peter dedicated every ounce of himself to ensuring our state’s political institutions served the needs of our families. His legacy of courage and compassion will inspire the people of New Jersey for generations to come… We will deeply miss the Wunderkind of Essex County,” said Governor Murphy.
Peter Shapiro was a political trailblazer. He won four elections (two for the Assembly and two for Essex County Executive) before at the age of 33.
In a hotly contested gubernatorial primary in 1985, Shapiro defeated a plethora of candidates fairly easily. He proceeded to get crushed against the popular incumbent Governor Tom Kean in the general election by 71%-24%, the largest margin of defeat in a gubernatorial election in New Jersey history.
In 1986, after getting crushed by Gov. Kean, Shapiro lost his reelection bid for Essex County Executive following a falling out with Raymond Durkin, the chair of the NJ Democratic State Committee and the Essex County Democratic committee.
A side note, in 1982 Peter Shapiro had to make a choice between running for a second term as county executive or seeking the open U.S. Senate that resulted from Harrison Williams being convicted on bribery charges in the Abscam scandal. He opted for seeking reelection and passed on the Senate race; this created a pathway for his close political ally, Frank Lautenberg, to spend lots of money and win the nomination in a nine-candidate primary in which former Princeton Mayor Barbara Boggs Sigmund played a prominent role.
Going into the race Congressman Andrew Maguire was the prohibitive favorite. He finished second with 23% to Lautenberg’s 26%, followed by Joseph LeFante’s 20% and Sigmund’s 11%. There was a strong feeling that Sigmund’s late entry in the race cost Maguire the seat.
The quick political fall of the very talented and charismatic Peter Shapiro shows how tenuous and tricky politics can be even for the best and brightest. There are lessons here for Josh Shapiro.
Irwin Stoolmacher is president of the Stoolmacher Consulting Group, a fundraising and strategic planning firm that works with nonprofit agencies that serve the truly needy among us.