Shapiro takes over as Pa. governor, pledges protections for freedom, opportunity

Jan. 17—HARRISBURG — Josh Shapiro entered office as Pennsylvania's 48th governor on Tuesday and in his inaugural address, emphasized a commitment to foster an environment of empowerment and opportunity and to also uphold and protect democracy.

"That is my covenant with you, the people," Shapiro, 49, a Democrat, said from a makeshift stage set upon Commonwealth Avenue outside the State Capitol's East Wing. "That is our deal."

Shapiro focused on family and freedom in his first address as governor.

His first order of business after taking the oath of office, led by Chief Justice Debra Todd of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, was to recognize his wife, First Lady Lori Shapiro, and four children seated on stage. He quickly turned his attention to the citizenry he'll govern as Pennsylvania's chief executive.

"And I want all of you to know," Shapiro said, "just how hard I will work for your children as Lori and I have for ours."

He spoke to Pennsylvanians through the stories of guests invited to Harrisburg for the occasion. Tim Lewis, a victim of wage theft from his former employer, Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc., whose money was recovered in the successful prosecution led by the now former attorney general.

He spoke of mothers like Dorothy Johnson-Speight and Michelle Kerr Spry, gun violence prevention activists who lost their children to gun violence.

He spoke of the thousands whose lives are lost to addiction and the families left to mourn their memories — some he met while working to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable through billion-dollar settlements to be used for treatment and prevention.

He spoke of Jarrod Bets, a Lancaster barber and an example of many small business owners whom Shapiro said "needs a level playing field to thrive."

And, he spoke of an unnamed grandmother in Lawrence County who, by his own retelling of a campaign trip, pulled him close by the lapels and made a demand.

"'Do not let us go back to what it was like before Roe,'" Shapiro said in quoting the woman, referencing the anxieties of reproductive rights advocates who fret that Pennsylvanians will lose abortion access now that protections afforded by the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade, are overturned.

"Because of so many of you, we won't," said Shapiro, an advocate himself who's pledged to carry on like his predecessor, Gov. Tom Wolf, in vetoing any threatening legislation he can to ensure access.

These are the issues Shapiro acted on and swore to address when campaigning for voters' support: gun violence and opioid addiction, abortion rights, supporting small business owners, public education and mental health.

They bought in resoundingly.

Shapiro and the newly installed lieutenant governor, Austin Davis, received more than 3 million votes in the November midterm election — the most ever cast for a governor's ticket. Republican hopefuls state Sen. Doug Mastriano and former Rep. Carrie Lewis DelRosso were defeated by more than 792,000 votes.

The new governor has stressed a need for bipartisanship in governance, showcasing as much in a transition team and cabinet appointees that include members beyond his own party. He didn't shrug off his own election opposition. More than 2.2 million Pennsylvanians voted for his opponents.

"I heard you, too," Shapiro said, "and I will do my best every day to be a governor for all Pennsylvanians."

In taking his oath, Shapiro rested his left hand on a stack of three bibles, raised his right hand at his side and repeated the words led by Chief Justice Debra Todd of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. To the side sat four men who led the commonwealth before him: former governors Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Tom Corbett and Wolf.

One of the three was a Hebrew bible from inside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on the day of a deadly mass shooting in 2018 in which 11 worshipers were killed.

Shapiro, who is Jewish, used the opportunity to make a stand against antisemitism, and he also held up the work of civil rights activists, equal rights activists including the LGBTQ+ community and those working to ensure reproductive freedoms.

Ordinary people with extraordinary stories who "stepped up, the Pennsylvania way."

He had a message, too, for those — like his own election opponent — who continue to deny election results.

"Here in Pennsylvania, we didn't allow the extremists who peddle lies drown out the truth. We showed that our system works and that our elections are free and fair, safe and secure," Shapiro said.

"We assume this obligation to defend democracy not merely to honor the work of our ancestors but rather to build on a foundation so we can make progress for our children," he said. "Only by setting the table of opportunity and inviting all to sit and partake, can we advance the cause of real freedom."