Trump rally shooting pushes Pennsylvania governor into the spotlight

The attempted assassination of former President Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania put Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) in the spotlight as he took on a consoling and unifying role following the incident.

The governor, in particular, garnered praise from Republicans and Democrats alike for his tribute to the Trump supporter who was killed at the rally, Corey Comperatore, describing him as a “fellow Pennsylvanian” who “died a hero.”

Shapiro was already among a group of rising-star Democratic governors who have been floated as potential 2028 presidential hopefuls. 

The 2024 campaign took an unexpected and tragic turn when a gunman attempted to assassinate Trump at a campaign rally Saturday in western Pennsylvania. Comperatore was killed and two others were hurt.

Democratic and Republican politicians across the country were quick to call for national unity and for political rhetoric to be toned down. But Shapiro, governor of the state the shooting took place in, was forced to confront the tragedy head-on. 

In a press conference the day after the shooting, Shapiro addressed law enforcement’s investigation before painting a compassionate picture of Comperatore. 

“Corey was the very best of us,” Shapiro said. “Corey died a hero. Corey dove on his family to protect them last night. Corey was a ‘girl dad.’ Corey was a firefighter. Corey went to church every Sunday. Corey loved his community.”

Shapiro notably went on to highlight Comperatore’s passionate support of Trump, a rarity coming from a Democratic governor ahead of a highly divisive election against Trump. 

“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” the governor said. 

Shapiro said that he spoke with Comperatore’s wife and two daughters prior to the news conference, adding that his wife asked the governor to share that her late husband died a hero and dove on top of his family to protect them during the shooting. 

Pennsylvania Democrats say Shapiro’s compassionate and empathetic tone is nothing new. 

“Having been a prosecutor, he knows what it’s like to engage with victims’ families,” said TJ Rooney, the former chair of Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party. “He’s always able to channel the right tone having unfortunately done it before.” 

“He has been faced with a few very challenging moments during his term and he’s handled them quite well,” Rooney said. “You can oftentimes tell when an officeholder is in over their head, when they had an event like Josh did the other day, you can sense their nervousness. But his composure is what sets him apart, his ability to unite is unique.” 

One of Shapiro’s first major tests as governor was responding to the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment in February of last year. The derailment took place near the border with Pennsylvania and impacted many of the state’s western residents. Five months later, Shapiro was forced to contend with the Interstate 95 bridge collapse on the other side of the state, in Philadelphia. 

Shapiro, who is Jewish, has also been vocal about speaking out against the rise of antisemitism in the U.S., particularly in the wake of the Israel-Hamas War. 

“Generally speaking, he always seems to have a knack for striking the right tone regardless of the situation,” said Pittsburgh-based Democratic strategist Mike Mikus. “He’s one of the rare politicians that’s able to remain to themselves politically and his beliefs while not necessarily alienating people who may not agree 100 percent of the time, and I think the other night was a perfect example of that.”

“There are people that sometimes surprise me when they say, ‘I really like Gov. Shapiro,’ and I hear that quite a bit,” he added. 

Shapiro has garnered some praise from Republicans following his response to the shooting. 

Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick praised Shapiro’s leadership in the aftermath of the shooting in a Tuesday post on the social platform X. 

“This has been a tough few days for our commonwealth. Grateful to @JoshShapiroPA for his strength and leadership following the tragedy in Butler on Saturday. Great to see you today at the FOP conference in Bethlehem,” McCormick wrote, attaching a picture of him greeting Shapiro at the gathering. 

A source familiar with the GOP response told The Hill that the governor has been in direct contact with several elected officials to whom he reached out and who have reached out to him in recent days. 

“I was really heartened to see the governor take the track that he did and not try to call out rhetoric or this or that and just act like an American and call for unity,” said Christian Nascimento, chair of the Montgomery County, Pa., Republican Committee. “I appreciated that, and I’m sure a lot of Pennsylvanians whether they’re Democratic or Republican appreciated that.” 

Shapiro is considered broadly popular in the state, making him an asset for Democrats going into November’s general election. A Franklin and Marshall College survey released last April found Shapiro with a 54 percent approval rating, making him the most popular Pennsylvania governor at that point during a first term. 

That, plus his exposure to the national spotlight, has led to Shapiro being floated as a potential 2028 contender, along with fellow Govs. Gavin Newsom (Calif.), Gretchen Whitmer (Mich.) and Wes Moore (Md.). 

Shapiro and Pennsylvania Democrats will face a battle in November when President Biden competes at the top of the ticket in the must-win state, boasting 19 electoral votes. A New York Times-Sienna College poll released Monday showed Biden trailing Trump by 3 points in the state. 

While he is not on the ticket this time around, a win for Biden in Pennsylvania would play well for Shapiro going forward. Shapiro did not face a particularly tough gubernatorial election battle in 2022, defeating Republican Doug Mastriano by more than 14 points. However, Democrats point to his strategy of appealing to more conservative parts of the state that could bode well for other candidates, like Biden. 

“I think Gov. Shapiro has a ton of credibility in the state and not just in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia,” Mikus said. “Shortly after he was first elected attorney general, the one thing I noticed was him spending a lot of time in a lot of those rural counties,” he continued, noting that while Shapiro did not win many of these counties, he still benefited from that additional time. 

“The way you win in Pennsylvania statewide is you do well in Pittsburgh and Philly and a few other cities like Erie and Scranton, but you do a little bit better than Hillary Clinton did in some of these rural counties, and it just adds up,” he said. 

When asked about his aspirations beyond 2024, Shapiro’s supporters emphasize that he is focused on his task at hand as governor. But that isn’t taking him off the list of 2028 Democratic contenders. 

“He keeps his cards close to the vest,” Mikus said. “If things continue with this administration the way they have and the way people have received him, I think it would be a mistake for him not to look at potentially running in 2028.”