Gov. Josh Shapiro is still unusually popular in Pennsylvania heading into his 2026 reelection campaign

HARRISBURG — Gov. Josh Shapiro remains popular among a majority of Pennsylvanians as he gears up for his reelection campaign next year in the critical battleground state that swung for President Donald Trump just last year, several recent polls found.

The first-term Democratic governor, who has made a national brand as a moderate Democrat and potential 2028 presidential candidate, continues to be abnormally popular in the politically purple state where Trump and Republicans made major gains in 2024.

Two polls released this month by Quinnipiac University and Franklin and Marshall College individually found that a majority of Pennsylvanians view Shapiro’s job performance favorably, including more than a quarter of Republicans. In the Quinnipiac poll, which asked 1,579 self-identified registered voters from Sept. 25 to 29 whether they view Shapiro unfavorably or favorably, 61% of voters said they support the governor. The Franklin and Marshall College poll asked 929 registered voters from Sept. 24 through Oct. 5 to describe their views in four categories, and approximately 51% said they viewed Shapiro as doing an “excellent” or a “good” job.

In comparison, both polls found that a majority of Pennsylvania voters do not approve of Trump’s performance as president, reflecting a national trend in other battleground states.

Shapiro’s popularity is unprecedented among recent Pennsylvania governors, said Berwood Yost, the executive director of the Franklin and Marshall College Poll.

A former state attorney general and Montgomery County commissioner, Shapiro has amassed approval ratings that surpass those of former Govs. Ed Rendell (41% approval), Tom Wolf (38%), and Tom Corbett (20%) at the same point in their first terms, Yost said, referencing past Franklin and Marshall poll findings. Historically, approval ratings have increased once incumbent governors return to the campaign trail to talk about what they have done while in office, so Shapiro’s numbers may still climb, he added.

“Those numbers are good enough to get you reelected at this point,” Yost said, noting that his approval ratings outpace those of Rendell and Wolf, who were each reelected to a second term.

Another poll released Wednesday by Morning Consult, a national online survey company, found that Shapiro is among the nation’s top 10 most popular governors, citing a similar approval rating.

Much of Shapiro’s continued popularity can be attributed to his administration’s quick repair of a destroyed part of I-95 in June 2023, Yost said. Since then, Shapiro’s approvals have reached new highs.

But according to Christopher Nicholas, a GOP consultant, Shapiro’s approval numbers are also a result of a weak opponent during the 2022 gubernatorial election. Shapiro beat State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin) by nearly 15 percentage points, or 800,000 votes, in that election. Mastriano has said he is considering running again next year, though the Pennsylvania GOP has already endorsed Treasurer Stacy Garrity for the 2026 primary.

Garrity is a much more formidable opponent, Nicholas said. She won reelection last year and broke Shapiro’s previous record as having received the most votes of any state-level candidate. Once she is able to make herself more known to voters, Nicholas said, he believes she will have a better chance at winning over GOP voters who might favor Shapiro right now.

“They will come back to the fold,” Nicholas said. “We didn’t give voters a good alternative in 2022.”

However, Yost noted that the political environment is beneficial to Shapiro instead of Garrity. Midterm elections often swing away from the party that controls the White House, giving Democrats an advantage in 2026.

Shapiro has not been without criticism or controversy during his term. Most recently, he is the only governor in the country who has not been able to pass a state budget, and he failed to strike a deal with leaders in the GOP-controlled state Senate to provide SEPTA and mass transit with a long-term revenue source. A longtime top aide, Mike Vereb, resigned in 2023 after a sexual harassment complaint against him became public. Shapiro has faced scrutiny for his acceptance of perks of the job, such as professional sports tickets, helicopter rides, and more.

» READ MORE: Why funding SEPTA in a divided Pennsylvania is one of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s biggest tests yet

All of these potential vulnerabilities could help Republicans chip away at Shapiro’s popularity in the state, Nicholas said.

But they haven’t changed the opinions of voters thus far, and Garrity will need to convince GOP donors she has a chance to win in 2026 to be able to get them to help her spread her message, Yost said.

A spokesperson for Garrity declined to comment.

Manuel Bonder, a spokesperson for Shapiro’s campaign, said: “Pennsylvanians know their governor is standing up for them.”

Shapiro himself cannot ignore his popularity. In a recent news conference, he referenced his high popularity ratings as proof that if the Senate GOP wanted to hurt him politically by stalling a state budget deal with House Democrats, it isn’t working.

“If they were motivated in the beginning to play political games, we all know that’s failed, right?” Shapiro told reporters, with a light chuckle.

“I’m in good shape,” he said, cracking a smile.