Gov. Josh Shapiro launches a federal PAC — the strongest signal yet he’s eyeing a 2028 run
Shapiro’s New Path PAC will allow him to fundraise and contribute directly to the Pennsylvania Democratic congressional candidates whom he’s supporting in the midterms, his campaign said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is officially getting into national politics.
Shapiro, a Democrat running for reelection in the critical battleground state and a widely rumored 2028 presidential candidate, took his first official step into the national political arena this week by creating a federal political action committee, New Path PAC.
The new federal PAC is the strongest signal yet that Shapiro is eyeing a 2028 presidential run in the Democratic primary — speculation the formidable fundraiser has routinely rejected while he’s focused on his reelection campaign.
Since he took office in 2023, Shapiro has amassed a whopping $60 million war chest in his state-level PAC. And this year, he’s shelled it out, too, having spent nearly $38 million on TV and streaming ads, according to media tracker AdImpact, in support of his reelection campaign where he holds a commanding double-digit lead over his GOP challenger.
However, campaign finance law limits Shapiro’s state PAC spending to his own race or others on the state level, creating a challenge for him to financially support federal candidates, including the four Pennsylvania congressional districts national Democrats are looking to flip in the midterm election.
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The money Shapiro has raised in his state-level PAC cannot be transferred to his federal PAC. Up to this point, Shapiro has largely spent his fundraising on his own reelection campaign as well as contributing more than $5.6 million to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, which has been rebuilt under his hand-picked chair and former top aide.
Shapiro’s New Path PAC will allow him to fundraise and contribute directly to the four Democratic candidates he’s supporting — Bob Harvie in Pennsylvania’s 1st, Bob Brooks in Pennsylvania’s 7th, Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania’s 8th, and Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional Districts — as part of his bet that his name at the top of the state’s midterm election ballot could help flip the U.S. House to Democratic control. He’s rallied alongside the candidates and with U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to expand Democrats’ U.S. House majority. And his reelection campaign has drawn support from former President Barack Obama, former President Joe Biden, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
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In a statement, Shapiro’s campaign emphasized that the governor remains focused on those four Pennsylvania congressional races in the remaining days before the Nov. 3 election. He’s also expressed interest in flipping the 9th Congressional District, currently represented by U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R., Pa.) as a fifth winnable district with candidate Rachel Wallace as the Democratic nominee. The statement does not mention other races outside of Pennsylvania where Shapiro may plan to lend his support.
Marshall Cohen, the PAC’s executive director who previously worked as the political director at the Democratic Governors Association, said in a statement that Pennsylvania voters have a chance to “place a check on Donald Trump and put this country on a new path.”
“That path runs right through Pennsylvania, and Gov. Shapiro is fighting to win up and down the ballot this November to elect leaders and deliver a Congressional majority that will actually fight for working families and move our country forward,” Cohen added.
Manuel Bonder, a campaign spokesperson, said the federal PAC is a new tool for Shapiro to more directly support Pennsylvania’s congressional candidates. He emphasized that backing the candidates in efforts to flip the House is Shapiro’s lone focus for now — a response echoing Shapiro’s standard line when asked whether he’s running for president in 2028.
In a debate last week between Shapiro and his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, Shapiro declined to pledge to serve another full four-year term as governor.
“The only thing I am focused on is running for reelection as governor,” Shapiro told the moderators before pivoting to his oft-used attack on Trump’s “chaos, cruelty, and corruption.”
But Shapiro’s creation of the federal PAC also ticks another box on the presidential hopeful checklist, adding to his frequent national TV appearances, campaigns with candidates across the country, and publishing a memoir.
» READ MORE: Gov. Josh Shapiro schedules a book tour as he stands for reelection, and builds his 2028 profile
Other prospective 2028 Democratic candidates have also created federal PACS and supported federal candidates. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear launched his federal PAC in 2024, while Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker started his federal PAC with a $20 million investment last month. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has expanded his federal fundraising to support Democrats in state-level races in early primary states, including South Carolina.
