Pennsylvania Governor’s Election Heats Up

On Tuesday, November 8th, the new Pennsylvania Governor will be determined. 

Democratic State attorney Josh Shapiro is in the Political Race against Republican State Senator Doug Mastriano.

Both Candidates are looking to succeed former Democratic Governor Tom Wolf, whose term is over and cannot be re-elected.

The winner will be sworn in on January 17, 2023.

 Josh Shapiro is the Democratic State attorney.

According to joshshapiro.org, ¨Josh began working in government while putting himself through law school at night… Josh returned to his hometown and successfully ran for State Representative. As Representative, Josh helped write and pass some of the toughest ethics laws in state history… Josh put the [area] back on solid financial footing, took early steps to combat the heroin epidemic, helped the first LGBTQ+ couples in Pennsylvania marry, and fired Wall Street money managers to save taxpayers and retirees millions… He has proven to Pennsylvanians he can bring people together to solve tough problems, and is unafraid to enforce the law without fear or favor… Josh exposed the Catholic Church’s decades-long cover-up of child sexual abuse, identifying 301 predator priests and thousands of victims — and spurring investigations across the United States.¨ 

Doug Mastriano is a U.S Military Veteran and a far-right politician. As well as a combat veteran, he has 4 master’s degrees in Strategy, Strategic intelligence, Military Operations, and Airpower. 

According to senatormastriano.com,  ¨Mastriano is an active member of his church and resides near Caledonia State Park, Pennsylvania. Mastriano has thirty years of experience building teams to get the job done.  He has dedicated his life to fighting for freedom, defending our families, and serving the people of this great land.”

A big question asked among the majority of students across the state is, Is this election important?

¨This is not the most important election in history, but all elections have value and significance. Politicians who represent us help set the course for future laws, policies, and practices in society,” History teacher Mr. Todd Weiss of Fleetwood Area High School said.

¨I do think this year’s election is very important. The path that Pennsylvania will follow for the next four years will be decided, in large part, by the new governor,” FAHS history teacher Ms. Becky Jarosynski said.

Some feel as if this election is very important because, if Doug Mastriano gets elected as governor, he will most definitely outlaw abortion. 

One Fleetwood student, junior Jackson Kessler, had strong feelings about this year’s election. 

“[The Governor] affect[s] the little things in the state you live in, like whether or not they should allow or ban abortion, or optional or mandatory masking for the pandemic,” Kessler said.

The election will be on November 8th, with Democratic candidate Josh Shapiro against Republican candidate Doug Mastriano.