Tuesday, January 07, 2025, 2:00PM |  23°
MENU
Advertisement
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in an April file photo.
3
MORE

Josh Shapiro's new ad touts his record on crime amid Republican criticism

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Josh Shapiro's new ad touts his record on crime amid Republican criticism

Hitting on an issue that has put Democrats on the defensive four weeks before the midterm elections, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro is leaning into his law enforcement record — and his platform calling for more police officers on the streets — in a new advertisement that will launch statewide on Wednesday.

The ad features the narration of several current and former law enforcement officials who say Pennsylvanians can always count on Mr. Shapiro to keep them safe. He is running against Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano in the Nov. 8 election.

The advertisement touts Mr. Shapiro’s record as attorney general and his office’s seizing of millions of doses of heroin and fentanyl over the years and its prosecution of thousands of drug dealers under his watch. 

Advertisement

At one point in the ad, the narrator reads, “He’ll hire more cops,” which is a reference to the Democrat’s calls for greater incentives so new officers join local forces. As evidence, the Shapiro camp points to reporting by Altoona television station WTAJ in February that cited him pitching the idea of $6,000 sign-up bonuses for new officers who join forces that are in need and $1,200 payments to first responders and 911 operators to retain emergency personnel.

Bloomsburg University  SPLEDUGUV1011
Spotlight PA State College
Pa. election 2022: Where gubernatorial candidates Doug Mastriano, Josh Shapiro stand on college funding, transparency and debt forgiveness

The new ad comes as Republicans hit Democratic candidates across the country for being soft on crime, reminiscent of the GOP’s national party platform in 2020 when it linked mantras like “Defund the Police” to the party’s nominees.

Mr. Mastriano routinely links the rising crime rates in Pennsylvania to Mr. Shapiro’s tenure as attorney general, and in a recent stop in Bucks County, said it’s “disqualifying” that he has been the senior law enforcement officer in the state while crime has risen, according to the Delaware Valley Journal.

The Shapiro camp appears eager to hit back, and in the ad that includes narration from Erie County Sheriff Chris Campanelli and Delaware County Sheriff Jerry Sanders, it notes that the Democrat has been “endorsed by prosecutors from both parties.”

Advertisement

Mr. Shapiro’s team cites the backing of independent Franklin County District Attorney Matt Fogal and former Bucks County District Attorney David Heckler, a Republican, as well as the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association. The group, representing more than 4,400 state police officers in the state, endorsed Mr. Shapiro late last month alongside Republican Mehmet Oz in the U.S. Senate race.

“Attorney General Josh Shapiro has shown his support time and time again for the men and women of the Pennsylvania State Police during his tenure as the state’s attorney general,” the association’s president, David Kennedy, said in its endorsement announcement.

The ad concludes, “Josh Shapiro is the one we trust to keep us safe.”

According to a plan on Mr. Mastriano’s website, the Republican will make sure law enforcement has “adequate funding” if elected, and will “support funding for additional prosecutors in high-crime areas.”

First Published: October 12, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: October 12, 2022, 10:04 a.m.

RELATED
A billboard from the Republican Accountability Project feature someone who identifies as conservative and is voting for Josh Shapiro on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022, off of I-376 near Forward Avenue in Squirrel Hill.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Billboards touting Republicans supporting Josh Shapiro for governor going up around Pittsburgh area
Candidates for Pennsylvania governor Doug Mastriano, left, Josh Shapiro
Julian Routh
Shapiro, Mastriano race could foreshadow 2024 in Pa.
State Sen. Doug Mastriano, takes photos and talks with his supporters during his campaign for governor at the Deja Vu Social Club, in Philadelphia on Sept. 30.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Mastriano’s unconventional campaign may be quietly building support, despite poll numbers
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro at a press conference after receiving the endorsement of Boilermakers Local 154 at the union’s Banksville Road location on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. He was joined by several Local 154 officials. They are, from left, dispatcher Kipp Contrael, secretary/treasurer Sye Kelly; business manager Mike Stanton; business agent Shawn Steffee. At right is lieutenant governor candidate Austin Davis.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Josh Shapiro picks up another key union endorsement from Boilermakers Local 154
Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro's campaign is using TikTok to try to reach Gen-Z voters as a run-up to the Nov. 8 midterm election.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Shapiro campaign reaching out to younger voters using the power of TikTok
Inmates listen during an information session about the commutation process at SCI Dallas in Dallas, Pa., on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman urged the audience of about 200 inmates, many with life sentences, to apply for commutation even if they have been denied in the past.   credit: Tim Tai
Danielle Ohl
Pa. election 2022: Where governor candidates Mastriano, Shapiro stand on crime, justice issues
Gubernatorial candidates  Democrat Josh Shapiro (left) and Doug Mastriano (right).
Gillian McGoldrick
Pa. governor's race: Democrat Josh Shapiro outspending Doug Mastriano by 27-to-1 margin, finance reports show
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, in white shirt at the center, listen to SEIU members speak about the importance of unions at the Smithfield United Church of Christ, Downtown, on Monday, Sept. 19, 2022.
Hallie Lauer
Josh Shapiro rallies with union workers ahead of 'pivotal' election
Democrat Josh Shapiro (left) and Doug Mastriano (right).
Spotlight PA
4 maps show where Pa. governor candidates Doug Mastriano and Josh Shapiro are getting big cash
SHOW COMMENTS (106)  
Join the Conversation
Commenting policy | How to Report Abuse
If you would like your comment to be considered for a published letter to the editor, please send it to letters@post-gazette.com. Letters must be under 250 words and may be edited for length and clarity.
Partners
Advertisement
 A sampling of potential dishes for 1930 by Atria's during a summer test run
1
life
Atria's in Mt. Lebanon to shake things up with a February rebrand
Penn State head coach James Franklin celebrates after the Fiesta Bowl College Football Playoff game against Boise State, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
2
sports
Jason Mackey: Am I crazy, or does Penn State have a real shot to win the College Football Playoff?
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025.
3
sports
Mike Tomlin says Steelers' playoff drought is his burden alone to carry
The Even Hotel at 425 Forbes Ave. in Downtown. Allegheny County Board of Property Assessment Appeals and Review members approved a $3.2 million cut in the 2025 taxable value of hotel last week.
4
business
Downtown hotel sees its property assessment cut for the second time in a year
Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to pass while pressured bt T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter at M&T Bank Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
5
sports
Paul Zeise: There is no logical reason to think the Steelers can win in Baltimore, but ...
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro in an April file photo.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, in white shirt at center, listens to SEIU members on Sept. 19.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pennsylvania Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro speaks to a gathering of SEIU members on Sept. 19, 2022.  (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Advertisement
LATEST news
Advertisement
TOP
Email a Story