Hi there John,

Yesterday, my conversation with Jon Favreau and Jon Lovett on Pod Save America aired — and I just wanted to share with you what we talked about:

Pod Save America (PSA): One of the most competitive and important contests of the 2022 midterms will be the race to succeed Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. The Republican primary is full of some very Trumpy candidates, while Democrats have rallied behind the man we're about to speak to who's supported by Wolf and just earned the endorsement of the entire Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Josh, welcome to the pod.

Me: Hey, it's so cool to be with you guys. Thanks for having me.

PSA: Thanks for being here. So, Donald Trump tried pretty hard to overturn the results of Pennsylvania's 2020 election. What do you think could have happened if a Republican had been Governor instead of Tom Wolf?

Me: I think there's no question that if any of the Republicans from the modern day Republican Party — hell, any of the 15 Republicans running against me right now for Governor, since the Governor here in Pennsylvania is the one that has to certify the election and thus submit the electors forward — there's no question in my mind that they would have heeded the calls of Donald Trump. And I know that, if I wasn't there as the Attorney General, if our Governor wasn't there, there's no question that the modern-day Republican Party would have done what they needed to do for the former President instead of our democracy.

PSA: So obviously, if you're Governor, you can certify elections that deserve to be certified. What else can you do to protect the right to vote and protect democracy in Pennsylvania, as Governor, particularly with a Republican Legislature that's filled with people who won't even acknowledge that Joe Biden won in 2020?

Me: I'm going to veto any attempts to try and undermine vote by mail or make it harder for people to access the ballot box here in Pennsylvania. And we're going to actually expand voter access. We want to do things like automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, early voter registration for young people who are 16, and 17. We're going to do everything in our power to make sure the ballot box is accessible to all legal eligible voters.

PSA: You've been talking about these issues during the campaign, you make them central to your campaign. But there's a lot of consultants who say that's a bad idea because the most important thing a Democrat can do to protect democracy is win, and if you want to win, you need to focus on the economy, focus on jobs, you can focus on, like kitchen table issues. How do you think about that as part of your campaign?

Me: Well, look, guys, I'm not a political expert or pundit, but here's what I know. I'm the twice-elected Attorney General here in Pennsylvania. I've won in really, really tough environments. I won when the top of our ticket lost and I earned more votes in 2020 than any Democrat has ever earned in the history of Pennsylvania. I spent a lot of time out in the community. and I listen to people. Pennsylvanians have a lot to worry about right now, from COVID, to their kids’ education, to the ever changing economy. They shouldn't have to worry about the instability of our democracy, too. The so-called kitchen table issues — which are unbelievably important — we don't get to fully address those issues unless we have free and fair, safe and secure elections, where everybody's voice gets to be heard. You can't ignore our democracy. It is central to making progress on all of these other issues, and central to the concerns that I know people feel day in and day out here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PSA: So you're obviously going to go out to get the vote in your travels throughout the state. I'm a Pennsylvania voter who tells me that, you know, even though Joe Biden and the Democrats promised to return to normalcy, we're still in the middle of a pandemic, still dealing with restrictions, still dealing with high prices. Democrats still haven't passed most of what they ran on in 2020. Why should I vote Democrat?

Me: Well, I got, I would just say, from my perspective, I'm running to be your Governor. I'm not going to Washington D.C. and I take my cues from Washington County, Pennsylvania, not Washington D.C., I'm a proud Pennsylvanian. Look, I mean, I got plans to try and make their lives better. And I will say to them what I've said before, give me an opportunity to serve you. It's what I've done as Attorney General, making sure that we look out for you, and what I'll do as Governor — making sure that we give every single child no matter what zip code they live in, a quality education, making sure we've got safe communities all across Pennsylvania, making sure we have an economy that lifts up all not just some, and then finally, making sure folks just don't get screwed anymore. While I recognize a lot of folks are frustrated about D.C., I'd say forget D.C. Focus on what's happening here in the Commonwealth, focus on my record of standing up for folks who are getting screwed, and I'll do more of that as Governor by helping people who are in need.

PSA: You nailed it. We're gonna end there. Attorney General Josh Shapiro. Thank you so much for joining Pod Save America. Best of luck on the trail.

Me: Hey, guys, thanks so much for having me.

This was a big moment in our campaign. It was our chance to talk about the issues facing Pennsylvanians and why electing a Democratic Governor in November is so important — to an audience of over a million people.

John, will you help this campaign reach an even bigger audience? With more resources, we can talk to more voters and get more support in this race. Chip in $5 now: [[link removed]]

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Thank you,

Josh Shapiro





Shapiro for Pennsylvania
PO Box 22635
Philadelphia, PA 19110
United States
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