Josh Shapiro and Gretchen Whitmer, potential 2028 rivals, meet at Philly diner to boost Democrats ahead of midterms
Featured on Sam’s Morning Glory Diner menu on Friday: “Shapiro 2026″ and “2028 sausage, eggs and gravy.” The governor did not elaborate on his order.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, stopped by a Bella Vista diner on Friday morning to pump up Democratic volunteers to turn out voters, with less than six weeks until the high-stakes midterm elections in both of their swing states.
On the menu: Electing Democratic candidates to Pennsylvania’s four nationally-watched U.S. House seats that could determine control of Congress, and flipping the state Senate to Democratic control for the first time in more than 30 years.
Shapiro is also seeking a second term as Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor this November, and maintains a sizable polling and fundraising advantage over his Republican opponent, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
“I know we’re in a moment of tumult right now, where chaos and cruelty and corruption is just enveloping our lives. The good news is in 39 days, you’ve got the power to change that,” Shapiro told the group of a couple dozen volunteers from voter protection groups. Servers at Sam’s Morning Glory Diner, wearing T-shirts with messages condemning President Donald Trump and supporting former Vice President Kamala Harris, whisked by with plates of omelettes and pancake stacks.
» READ MORE: 1 in 4 Pa. GOP voters doesn’t know who Stacy Garrity is as Josh Shapiro widens lead in governor’s race
Shapiro also assured voters that elections in Pennsylvania will be conducted fairly and accurately, following a CNN report that Trump’s Department of Justice is sending a surge of election monitors to oversee polling locations.
“We’re prepared again in court, and we’re also prepared should they try and bring personnel into certain communities, particularly minority communities, to try and intimidate people, make it harder for people to vote, or make them worried about showing up to vote,” he said.
State election officials are coordinating with the Pennsylvania National Guard, the Pennsylvania State Police and local law enforcement to protect voting access, he said.
“We will do everything in our power to stop Donald Trump from interfering with this election and ensure, whether you vote by mail or you vote in person, you will have access to the ballot box, and it will be protected,” he said.
Whitmer is nearing the end of her second term as Michigan’s governor, and like Shapiro, has been floated as a contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary.
The two have been coy about any future pursuits. Shapiro has demurred on his ambitions for higher office, saying he’s focused on his reelection, though he’s also said he will “be a part of that conversation” about who Democrats should nominate for president. Whitmer previously said she had no plans to run in the Democratic presidential primary in 2028 but later walked it back, saying “never say never.”
But on Friday in South Philadelphia, there were no signs of rivalry. Whitmer said she was in town to help support Shapiro’s reelection effort. Shapiro praised Whitmer, saying she has been a guiding light for the kind of governor he wanted to emulate.
Whitmer, Shapiro said, is ”someone I have looked up to, someone who knows how to get stuff done in her state, and someone who I think leads with integrity, with purpose, with drive and determination.”
The two appeared together publicly last year at an Eagles-Lions football game at Lincoln Financial Field, as part of what Whitmer called a friendly rivalry between the NFC championship contenders.
During the 2024 presidential election, Shapiro also visited Michigan to stump alongside Whitmer for Harris’ campaign.
On Friday, Whitmer called Shapiro a “good friend and colleague.”
“When Washington, D.C. is making life harder — whether it’s through tariffs or a war in Iran that’s jacking up the price of everything — it’s the governors that are protecting our rights, that are making sure we keep more money in our pockets. It’s the governors who are solving problems,” she said. “You got one of the best in the country.”
After talking with patrons, Shapiro said he planned to sit down with Whitmer to eat something at the restaurant. Featured on Sam’s Morning Glory Diner menu on Friday: “Shapiro 2026″ and “2028 sausage, eggs and gravy.”
Shapiro did not elaborate on his order.
