Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro focuses on protecting abortion, voting rights at Pittsburgh rally

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro held a rally in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and focused his speech on protecting rights for future generations, and his plan to improve education, public safety, and union rights for Pennsylvanians.

In front of more than 300 supporters at a rally in front of Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, Shapiro said he entered public service because of anxieties that future generations might have a worse life than older Americans.

“When we look into the eyes of our four children, we worry about their future,” said Shapiro of himself and his wife, Lori. “We worry that they will have less opportunities than those before.”

Shapiro spoke about positive messages of his campaign. He said he wants to raise Pennsylvania’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, invest in law enforcement, expand union rights, invest in public schools, and expand green energy and robotics jobs.

Other speakers at the rally, including lieutenant governor candidate Austin Davis and congressional candidate Summer Lee, echoed many of Shapiro’s sentiments about the necessity of voters to cast their ballots to protect Pennsylvanian rights, like the right to have an abortion and the right to organize a labor union.

“We have seven days to send a message that Pennsylvania isn’t a place for fear and division and hatred,” Davis said.

Shapiro said that his opponent, Republican Doug Mastriano, wants to end abortions in the state, is an ally of white supremacists, and wants to take away free and fair elections. Shapiro said, if elected, he would veto any abortion restrictions passed by the state Legislature.

Mastriano has said that making abortions illegal, without any exceptions, is his “number one issue.” He also came under fire for paying for consulting services on Gab, a social media platform popular with white supremacists and was where alleged Tree of Life shooter posted antisemitic screeds.

Shapiro also told the crowd that Mastriano was present on the U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 insurrection and that, if elected, Mastriano said he would have the power to decertify the state’s voting machines.

“That is not how things work in our democracy, and that is not freedom,” Shapiro said.

Shapiro kicked off a campaign bus tour on Tuesday to visit more than 20 Pennsylvania counties in the final week of the race. Pittsburgh was his final stop of the day. He visited Erie, Clarion, and Beaver counties beforehand.

Shapiro’s campaign said this will likely be his last public event in Pittsburgh before Election Day next Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Shapiro ended his speech and pleaded with the crowd to help get out the vote effort.

“You got to work and you got to fight for every vote,” he said. “Right now, everything is on the line, and we need to see it through.”

Mastriano will be in Pittsburgh’s South Hills on Wednesday for a rally with former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.