Too many political experts are quick to dismiss Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s likely bid to run for president in 2028. Some say the fact that he’s Jewish will prevent him from winning the Democrats’ current base, which is made up in no small part of antisemites and pro-Hamas activists. The Muslim wing of the party is growing and, for its size, wields more and more power these days.
Another group, and this includes more than a few conservatives, believes the fact that he’s a white male will disqualify him in the Democratic Party.
Fair enough. These are very legitimate reasons Shapiro may not make it out of the Democrat primaries in 2028, but keep in mind that the last Democrat to run for president in the general election didn’t win one primary. Democratic selection and majority votes are nice-to-haves for Democrats, but they are no longer must-haves.
All it takes is a handful of people with clout to determine who makes it on the ballot. Just ask Bernie Sanders about that. I would have added Joe Biden to the list of people to ask about getting shafted by the party, but I don’t think he remembers 2024.
Still, you have to know that the party and its donors are still stinging from 2024 and are resolved to win at all costs in 2028. The Soros machine doesn’t really care what power looks like so long as it’s the power the machine can control.
Remember when Alex Soros thanked Josh Shapiro for “all the work he has done to enhance access to the ballot”? https://t.co/p5LzFAmon1 pic.twitter.com/UxNLCl7Lrh
— Meg Brock (@MegEBrock) April 14, 2024
Do you really think the power behind the power on the left really cares if it’s a Jewish white guy in the White House so long as it’s their guy?
That brings us to a new book that’s coming out on Jan. 27, 2026. It’s called Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service, and it’s from Josh Shapiro. Alternative title could have been: Yes, I’m Running in 2028, I Really Am.
It’s almost a prerequisite for any Democrat running for president to have a book. Theoretically, it’s to frame the candidate. In this case, tell his origin story—what he’s all about, talk about his family, and basically fill the political silo with base material his future presidential campaign will draw upon for messaging, content, ad positioning, and more. Usually books like this contain the politician’s own spin on potential political liabilities that could arise during the campaign and try to get ahead of them.
Barack Obama published his own book in 2006: The Audacity of Hope. In it, he sought to deal with his own apparently lengthy history with marijuana, something another Democratic president before him had also grappled with—Bill Clinton. He admitted to smoking marijuana when he was younger, but he made the point of saying, “I never inhaled.” Believe it or not, in 1992, that worked for him.
But in 2006, with his eyes on the White House, Obama knew the Bill Clinton excuse wouldn’t fly, so he decided to hit the issue head-on in his book, in which he said that as a teenager he used marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol. In contrast to Clinton, and on purpose, he said—famously—of marijuana that he did inhale because that was the point. That worked for him.
In contrast to both Clinton and Obama, Shapiro has a little more of a track record in public life to scrutinize than they did when they first ran.
Shapiro has been governor of Pennsylvania for the past three years, and before that he was a very aggressive and visible attorney general.
He’s also had a few controversies of his own to deal with, like a sexual harassment settlement and aide resignation. This involved Mike Vereb, a top aide to Shapiro who resigned in 2023 amid allegations of sexually harassing a female employee. Shapiro’s office quietly agreed to pay a $295,000 settlement in that case, which drew criticism for a lack of transparency about what Shapiro knew and when.
Shapiro himself was criticized for not being transparent with the public on the harassment allegations and settlement. This raised questions over his own sense of accountability to the voters and taxpayers.
On the matter of campaign finance, some groups alleged irregularities in how union dues were used to support Shapiro’s 2022 campaign, though these are political complaints rather than proven legal violations.
Then there is the very curious case of Ellen Greenberg. She was a Philadelphia first-grade teacher who died in her own apartment in January 2011 with 20 stab wounds. Despite the number and nature of the wounds (including many to her back and neck), the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a suicide.
When Shapiro was Pennsylvania’s attorney general, his office reviewed the case, starting in 2018. It looked at it in 2019 and in 2022, upholding the suicide ruling in the end.
Greenberg’s parents were outraged when Shapiro agreed that the cause of death was suicide. They would have accepted “homicide” or even “undetermined.”
There were also allegations of possible conflict over the fact that Shapiro’s office sent the case back to another prosecutor in 2022 because of perceived connections between Shapiro and persons who may have been involved.
All of this to say that it looks like the Pennsylvania governor is unofficially starting the process to run for president in 2028. His upcoming book tour will take him to places he needs to go to sell a book, and more likely to enhance his name recognition among primary voters. It’s not clear how Shapiro will try to get ahead of some of these issues, but you can bet he has a plan.
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