Harrisburg voters mostly say they favor Gov. Shapiro for re-election
Harrisburg, Pa. – At a voting precinct a block away from the Pennsylvania state capitol complex, local residents mostly said they cast ballots in favor of re-electing the state’s popular governor, Democrat Josh Shapiro.
“Things start working great when Democrats are in power. The opposite is the case when Republicans are in power,” Jeffrey Washington, a 69-year-old maintenance worker and lifelong Harrisburg resident told Baltimore Post-Examiner.
Washington noted that then-President Bill Clinton was able to work with congressional Republicans in the 1990s to secure a balanced budget, which led to a strong economy during that decade.
Washington went on to say that economic conditions were not ideal during the administration of President George W. Bush as well as during the first and now-second term of President Donald Trump.
Washington described Trump’s current term in office, which began almost two years ago—most notably the decision to strike military targets in Iran—as “out-and-out-insanity.”
Washington, who said he always votes Democratic, offered a somewhat interesting take on whether Shapiro, 53, who is considered a prospective 2028 presidential candidate, would make a good president.
“Nobody would make a good president because they are all out for themselves.”
Polls show Shapiro leading his Republican opponent, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, by more than 20 points. Garrity, 62, is a staunch supporter of President Trump, who won Pennsylvania by about two percentage points in 2024.
Trump’s approval ratings are in the mid-thirties and polls suggest Democrats are poised to take control of both the House and the Senate. Inflation and cost of living issues are at the top of the list for many voters, according to recent polls.
Harrisburg is located in Dauphin County, where Democrats have a slight edge in voter registration. The state capital itself is strongly Democratic, but it lies in a congressional district that is represented by Republican Rep. Scott Perry.
Perry is a staunch conservative who previously served as chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. Polls show Perry locked in a competitive race with Democrat Janelle Stelson, a former TV reporter. Shapiro has both endorsed and campaigned for Stelson.
Pennsylvania has not elected a Republican for governor since Tom Corbett in 2011. It is considered to be arguably the most important swing-state in recent presidential elections with its 19 electoral votes.
Pam Auer, 56, is a human services coordinator for local nursing homes.
Auer said she voted for Shapiro because she believes he is “good for Pennsylvania,” whereas the “other candidates don’t necessarily care about all Pennsylvanians.”
Auer said Shapiro has done an admirable job advocating for the rights of Pennsylvanians with “intellectual and developmental disabilities.” However, Auer said she would like to see the governor do a better job of advocating for the state’s residents with both”physical and sensory disabilities.”
Zyaire C., a 23-year-old full-time student, who works at Hershey, said he voted for Shapiro because he believes the governor has done his best to look out for some of Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable citizens.
C. said he is especially concerned about some of the more controversial actions taken by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers.
“I am concerned about the treatment of U.S. citizens and immigrants who have been deemed a threat.”
Aseelah Cleveland, 44, said she voted “straight Republican” because “there is too much going on with the Democrats.”
Cleveland said she believes Democrats “are not taking care of the homeless population” in Pennsylvania and she expressed frustration about housing shortages in the state’s cities such as Harrisburg.
Rev. James Smith, 56, is a Roman Catholic priest in Harrisburg.
Smith declined to say whom he voted for.
But Smith did say he hopes whoever wins the governor’s race will try to fix the parking situation in Harrisburg.
Parking in Harrisburg is managed by a private-public entity, SP+ Municipal Services, as opposed to being administered by the city itself.
“It (the parking situation) is crushing the state capital.”
Bryan is the managing editor of Baltimore Post-Examiner.
He is an award-winning political journalist who has extensive experience covering Congress and Maryland state government. His work includes coverage of the first election of President Donald Trump, the confirmation hearings of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and attorneys general William Barr and Jeff Sessions, the Maryland General Assembly, Gov. Larry Hogan, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bryan has broken stories involving athletic and sexual assault scandals with the Baltimore Post-Examiner.
His original UMBC investigation gained international attention, was featured in People Magazine and he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America” and local radio stations. Bryan broke subsequent stories documenting UMBC’s omission of a sexual assault on their daily crime log and a federal investigation related to the university’s handling of an alleged sexual assault.