HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Josh Shapiro was elected to serve as the next Governor of Pennsylvania.

Shapiro, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, currently serves as the commonwealth’s Attorney General. During the November 2020 election Shapiro received more than 56% of the vote with more than 3 million votes.

During his campaign, Shapiro has highlighted his positions on abortion rights, education, criminal justice, voting rights, and healthcare.

Shapiro says that he will support and defend Pennsylvania’s abortion laws up to 23 weeks into pregnancy with consultation from a physician, and after 24 weeks if a woman’s life or health is at risk.

Before his time as the attorney general for Pennsylvania, Shapiro was the chairman of the Board of Commissioners in Montgomery County. He is in his second term as the attorney general.

In January 2022, Shapiro endorsed Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker Austin Davis to be his running mate and lieutenant governor. Davis will be the first African American Lieutenant Governor in Pennsylvania history.

Once sworn in, the 49-year-old Shapiro will be the youngest Governor of Pennsylvania since Mark Schweiker, 48, in 2001. Because Schweiker was promoted following Tom Ridge’s resignation, Shapiro will be the youngest elected Governor in Pennsylvania since Dick Thornburgh in 1978.

Shapiro will be sworn in as Pennsylvania’s 48th Governor on January 17, 2023, at the State Capitol in Harrisburg.

Shapiro has begun to announce members and nominations for his cabinet, including Secretary of the Commonwealth and Education.

Democrats have not held the Governor’s Residence for three consecutive terms since 1848. There have not been back-to-back Democrat Governors in Pennsylvania since 1955-63.

The winner of the last six Governor’s races has won by more than 200,000 votes Only seven Pennsylvania Governor’s races since 1900 have come within 100,000 votes, the last time being in 1986.

Former Governor candidates

Doug Mastriano (R)

Doug Mastriano, who was endorsed by Donald Trump in the Pennsylvania Governor race just days before primary voting day, was named the Republican nominee after receiving 43.87% of the votes, or 589,645 voters, in the May primary.

During the November general election Mastriano received more than 2.2 million votes, approximately 800,000 fewer than Shapiro.

Mastriano announced his candidacy in January 2022 at a rally in Gettysburg. He pulled ahead in the primary race after receiving Trump’s endorsement days before the primary.

During his primary victory party, Mastriano opened his remarks with a Scripture, saying: “God uses the foolish to confound the wise.” He has not only made faith central to his personal story but has woven conservative Christian beliefs and symbols into the campaign. Mastriano, however, has rejected the “Christian nationalist” label in the past.

Mastriano has been in the media for ties to the events at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, including his sponsorship of buses being sent to the Capitol. It was a topic of discussion at debates during the primary campaign trail.

With the Jan. 6 hearings now taking place, Mastriano offered to sit for an interview with the congressional committee investigating the attacks. Mastriano previously denied breaking any laws that day, and he has not been charged with any crime in connection to the Capitol attack.

On his campaign website, Mastriano says, if elected, he would’ve eliminated “all pandemic executive orders and edicts” from the Wolf administration, place an immediate ban on government and school mask mandates, and put an immediate ban on all COVID-19 mandates.

To learn more about Mastriano, visit his website by clicking here. Or, visit the campaign website created by Friends of Doug Mastriano, by clicking here.

Christina “PK” Digiulio (Green Party)

The Green Party of Pennsylvania announced that Christina “PK” Digiulio will be their candidate for Governor in 2022. Digiulio has a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Lock Haven University and previously worked for a number of years for the Department of Defense.

Michael Badges-Canning was approved as Digiulio’s running mate.

Matt Hackenburg (Libertarian)

The Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania announced that Matt Hackenburg had been nominated to be the party’s official nominee for governor.

Hackenburg, a former member of the Army National Guard, lives in Northampton County and has a fifteen-year career as a computer engineer in the aerospace industry. Timothy McMaster was approved as his running mate.

Joe Soloski (Keystone)

According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, Joseph Soloski of Centre County has filed and been approved to run with the Keystone Party for Governor. Nicole Shultz will be his runningmate.

Soloski previously ran for State Treasurer as a Libertarian in 2020, receiving 2.2%, and for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2018, finishing with 2.9%.

Soloski believes in the principles of limited government and minimum state spending, according to his campaign website.

Primary Candidates

Republican Primary candidates

Lou Barletta

In 2018, Lou Barletta was the Republican Party’s Donald Trump-endorsed nominee for U.S. Senate, and in May 2021, he announced his run for Pennsylvania governor.

In the race for the nomination, the former congressman had seen his name towards the top of the leader board in recently published polls. He finished second to Doug Mastriano in the primary election after receiving 20.25% of the vote.

Joseph Gale

The Montgomery County commissioner announced his candidacy for governor in February 2021. Gale finished with 2% of the vote in the May primary.

Charlie Gerow

A Conservative activist with a communications and marketing firm in Harrisburg, Gerow finished with 1.33% of the vote in the May primary.

William McSwain

William McSwain, a former U.S. Attorney appointed by former President Trump, finished third in the May Republican primary, receiving nearly 16% of the vote.

Trump complained the former federal prosecutor did “absolutely nothing” to investigate Trump’s false claims of widespread election fraud after Democrat Joe Biden won the state in 2020. McSwain, who spent nearly three years as the top federal prosecutor in Philadelphia under Trump, has often touted the connection as he campaigns for the GOP nod in a crowded primary field.

However, Trump turned on him, saying, “One person in Pennsylvania who I will not be endorsing is Bill McSwain for Governor.” He then went on in the statement to call McSwain a coward.

Dr. Nche Zama

Dr. Nche Zama made his candidacy official in May 2021 and finished with 1.2% in the May primary.

Zama is a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and has worked for hospitals across Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, York, East Stroudsburg, and other locations.

Zama graduated from high school at the age of 14 in Cameroon, Central Africa, before moving to the United States.

Dave White

The former businessman from Delaware County joined the race in January 2021 and participated in the abc27 primary debate. White finished fourth in the primary race receiving 9.56% with more than 129,000 votes.

Dropped Out

• Jason Monn (R)
• Mike Turzai (R)
• Dan Meuser (R)
• Scott Martin (R) — He announced that he was suspending his campaign for governor due to ongoing medical issues caused by a leg injury.
• Guy Ciarrocchi (R)
• Jason Richey (R) — Despite receiving enough petitions to appear on the ballot, the Associated Press reported on March 17 that Richey dropped out of the race and endorsed William McSwain. T
• Jake Corman (R) — After first dropping out and re-entering the race on April 12, Corman dropped out of the race on May 12. A Bellefonte resident, Corman received 1.93% of the vote in the May primary.
• Melissa Hart (R) — The former Republican member of the United States House, dropped out of the race on May 13 and endorsed Lou Barletta. She was the only female in the Republican primary field and finished with 4% of the vote.

Did Not Meet Petition Requirements

John Ventre (R) – According to election officials, Ventre did not meet the petition requirements to appear on the primary ballot.

Shawn Berger (R) – According to election officials, Berger, a businessman from Carbon County, did not meet the petition requirements to appear on the primary ballot.

Christina Olson (G) — The Hellertown resident announced her campaign and became the sole candidate in the Green party. She did not meet the petition requirements to appear on the primary ballot.

This page will continue to be updated as candidates join or drop from the race. Links to each candidate’s campaign page will also be updated as they become available. Plus, visit Pennsylvania Politics or Your Local Election HQ on abc27.com for more information on upcoming elections.

Election Day is November 8.