Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has been promoting his political messaging on social media and beefing up his communications team amid 2028 White House rumors, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday.
The size of Shapiro’s media staff has almost doubled since his predecessor, former Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf, exited office in 2023, the Inquirer reported. The report comes amid mounting rumors that Shapiro is weighing whether to run for president in 2028.
The battleground state governor’s communications, press and social media staff cost taxpayers a total of almost $3 million annually, according to the Inquirer. Meanwhile, 12 of these employees make over $100,000 annually, with some earning as much as $190,000 per year, the outlet reported.
Eric Epstein, founder of nonpartisan government watchdog group Rock the Capital, criticized the cost to taxpayers in a statement to the Inquirer, claiming that Shapiro “should not be using tax dollars to promote his image and run for president.”
“The governor should spend more time on the ground communicating to the legislature and get a budget done on time,” Epstein told the outlet.
However, Manuel Bonder, Shapiro’s press secretary, said in a statement provided to the Inquirer that the governor’s large media team is part of a push to communicate with Pennsylvanians more effectively. Bonder also said that Shapiro has held over 300 news conferences to “communicate with Pennsylvanians directly” since taking office.
“The governor believes there should be no wrong door to access state government, and the state’s top priority should be serving Pennsylvanians and meeting people where they are — online, through efficient services, and in their communities,” Shapiro’s press secretary told the outlet.
Before former Vice President Kamala Harris ultimately tapped Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate for her failed 2024 White House run, Shapiro was rumored to be on Harris’ shortlist for the position. Harris is reportedly weighing whether to launch a bid for California’s governor’s mansion in 2026 or seek the White House again in 2028.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, has drawn criticism over his support for Israel. Additionally, the Pennsylvania previously faced backlash over his office’s handling of a sexual harassment complaint made against one of his former aides, CBS News reported in August 2024.
In March, Shapiro was asked about whether he intends to run for president in 2028 during an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” to which he responded he was “not an expert” on Washington, D.C. “stuff.”
“I’m not an expert in the D.C. stuff,” Shapiro told Maher. “I live in the real world in Pennsylvania, where we have to balance budgets.”
Michael Coard, a Philadelphia-based lawyer and columnist, told left-wing magazine Mother Jones in an interview published in August 2024 that Shapiro is a “political chameleon” who “changes his colors as the situation calls for.”
“I’ve never seen Shapiro out front on any political issue,” Coard told the outlet. “It seems to me that he’ll wait to see how the wind blows.”
Shapiro’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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