Josh Shapiro campaigns for Abigail Spanberger in Virginia governor race

One of the Democratic Party’s top prospects for 2028 is expected to compete against Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger on Sunday.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has taken a notable path to the right of far-left Democratic Party figures like New York Assembly. Zahran Mamdani will combine with Spanberger in the crucial Hampton Roads area.

The former Virginia congresswoman plans to hold multiple rallies in the Tidewater area alone before Election Day, including another with former President Barack Obama across the “roads” in Norfolk.

“This weekend Governor Shapiro heads to New Jersey and Virginia to help elect Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger; two more Democratic governors who will focus every day on getting things done, delivering results for hardworking families and protecting freedom in their states,” Shapiro campaign spokesman Manuel Ponder told Fox News Digital on Friday.

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Shapiro also plans to run against Rep. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey where she hopes to keep Trenton in Democratic hands.

Shapiro — who has announced he will run for re-election to Harrisburg in 2026 and has not officially expressed interest in running for president — is one of several Democrats whose names have repeatedly come up in such conversation — including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and Kentucky Gov. Andrew Beshear.

He was also the announced runner-up to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the 2024 Kamala Harris contest.

Shapiro criticized anti-Semitic behavior at the University of Pennsylvania in the wake of Hamas’ attack on Israel, while separately adding Mamdani’s view of the Jewish state:

“You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when your supporters say blatantly anti-Semitic things, you can’t leave room for that to sit there.”

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While Shapiro has faced criticism from Republicans in his state for his support of former Gov. Tom Wolf’s COVID-era lockdowns and for the current budget impasse, he has also been a rare Democrat drawing praise from some in the GOP.

Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate in the New Jersey election, favorably dropped Shapiro’s name enough times that Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — then running for governor — suggested he cross Delaware and run in the Keystone State instead.

“[Pennsylvania doesn’t] We have a property tax crisis [like New Jersey]“They don’t have a business climate crisis, and they don’t have an energy crisis,” Ciattarelli said, contrasting the two neighbors.

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However, Republicans in Pennsylvania have objected to some of those characterizations, with state Rep. Ross Diamond, R-Lebanon, and Sen. David Argall, R-New Ringgold, recently drafting bills to eliminate estate taxes altogether.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, R-Gettysburg, who challenged Shapiro in 2022 and the conservative wing is urging him to do so again in 2026, also criticized Shapiro’s budget proposals as “utopian,” warning in a statement that “ultimately, money will dry up for We the People.”

Shapiro has also been outspoken about the election law itself, chiding the president over a Social Truth post that potentially heralds the end of mail-in voting.

“Donald Trump can sign any executive order he wants…but he cannot change the Constitution by executive order, and the Constitution gives the states the power to set our election rules.” Shapiro said.