Shapiro pledges help for 'forgotten' communities if elected governor; vows to protect abortion access, mail-in voting

Oct. 18—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor, promised to support communities, such as Johnstown, that have been "just forgotten and left behind, left out in the conversations in Harrisburg" during a visit to the local area on Monday.

Johnstown's struggles are well-documented — decades of population loss, an anemic economy, shrinking tax base, drugs and crime, and widespread poverty.

And many other municipalities, in the region and across the commonwealth, have endured similar pain.

"I think you correct that in a couple different ways," Shapiro said during an interview at The Tribune-Democrat in Johnstown. "One, by having a governor who gives a damn about these communities, and I do. And, two, a governor who knows how to take on big fights and deliver real results."

He pointed to several areas that, if elected, he would like to focus on to help Pennsylvania's small towns.

"I think when you think about revitalizing a community, it has to start on the main street to show that you've got viable businesses, and those businesses can expand and flourish," Shapiro said. "We're going to create a 'rural capital fund,' targeting ag and farming as well to try and help deal with poverty in our rural communities."

Shapiro also wants to use the "purchasing power of the commonwealth," referring to all the goods and services Pennsylvania buys, to help businesses grow, including those in rural areas, to "right some of these wrongs of the past."

One of his plans would also be to put liaisons in place to connect his office with local governments, including those in — or just about to leave — Pennsylvania's Act 47 program for distressed municipalities. "There'll be a real emphasis in my administration on helping communities like Johnstown who are kind of on their way to emerging from Act 47," he said.

Shapiro discussed numerous local, state and national issues during the conversation that included representatives from The Tribune-Democrat and other newspapers in the CNHI chain.

Crime and guns

Shapiro's attorney general's office has arrested more than 8,200 suspected drug dealers, according to his count.

"I think we need to make sure that those who are peddling poisons and bringing violence into our communities are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Shapiro said. "I've done that in the attorney general's office. We need to do that across the board."

He wants 2,000 more police officers to be hired in Pennsylvania.

The attorney general also discussed his position on gun laws.

"First off, let's just start with the basic premise — every child has a right to go to school in safety and come home in safety. Period," Shapiro said. "We, as policymakers, need to do everything in our power to ensure their safety.

"I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. I'm also a strong believer that people have a right not to get shot in their schools, their churches or on their streets. and so we've got some work to do to balance that. I think we can by simply requiring universal background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. It's commonsense."

Child sexual abuseShapiro, as attorney general, issued a scathing grand jury report that documented child abuse within the state's Roman Catholic dioceses.

One of the recommendations was to give victims an opportunity to confront their alleged abusers in courts.

In 2021, Pennsylvanians were prepared to vote on a proposed state constitutional amendment to create a two-year retroactive window during which civil claims could be filed, even if the statute of limitations had expired. But Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar did not advertise the amendment in time for it to get on the primary ballot.

"As governor, I will put a real emphasis with the Legislature on them sending me this bill and codifying it into law quickly," Shapiro said. "I gave my word to these survivors that I was always going to be there for them. They know that. and they've had my back as well."

Abortion stance

With Roe v. Wade overturned earlier this year, each individual state can now make its own laws regarding abortion.

"I support a women's right to choose without political interference," Shapiro said. "Whatever her choice is, it should be her choice. and so when the Legislature puts a bill on my desk to ban abortion, I will veto that and trust the women of Pennsylvania to make decisions over their own bodies. Period."

Pennsylvania was one of the states at the forefront of the 2020 presidential election, regarding vote counting, when now President Joe Biden, a Democrat, defeated then-President Donald Trump, a Republican.

Shapiro said he was involved in 43 cases dealing with challenges to the election, winning all of them, and, in his words helping secure a "free and fair, safe and secure election."

His Republican opponent, state Sen. Doug Mastriano, a Republican, was outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 when Trump supporters violently entered the building looking to disrupt the Electoral College certification process. Shapiro said Mastriano and others were there "not to hear a speech, not to protest, but to stop the votes of the good people of Johnstown from being counted, stop the votes of Pennsylvanians from being counted."

Shapiro said he will select a "pro-democracy" secretary of state to oversee elections and "protect" mail-in voting laws.

"This is not about who you're choosing," Shapiro said. "This is not about what party you're registered on. This is foundational to our democracy to make sure that our votes are counted and that there's no interference from conspiracy theorists, like my opponent, who want to undermine your fundamental freedoms."