PENNSYLVANIA, USA — On the heels of the stunning announcement that President Joe Biden is dropping out of the 2024 Presidential Election, eyes are turning to possible replacements on the Democratic ticket.
Recently, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has seen questions about whether or not he would consider entering the race if Biden were to drop out.
Last month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg visited Pennsylvania at an event with Shapiro, where both men faced questions about their candidacy for the presidency in 2028.
Buttigieg answered, saying that he has a job and we have a President.
Last week, a Shapiro spokesman gave us the following statement when asked about the governor's presidential candidacy if Biden were to drop out:
This type of baseless speculation is just a distraction – and it is unhelpful to accomplishing what we need to do this November: defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box.
In an interview with KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, Shapiro said that he would not be a candidate for president, and said that he has every expectation that Biden will run again.
When pressed if Biden drops out, would Shapiro consider it, he issued a flat denial:
"The answer is no. I just asked the good people of Pennsylvania to be their governor," Shapiro said. "They honored me with this opportunity to have the job that I want and the job that I think I can do good things from to make people's lives better. God willing, I will have the health and the ability to continue to serve, and I'll serve all four years."
Now that Biden's announcement has been made official, we have reached out to Shapiro's office for comment, but have yet to hear back.
Shapiro posted the following statement on Biden's announcement on Twitter:
For more information on the 2024 Elections in Pennsylvania, you can visit our voter guide here.
