FRANKLIN COUNTY, Pa. — Potential voters packed shoulder-to-shoulder in downtown Chambersburg for a meet and greet with democratic gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro.
The State Attorney General hosted a meet and greet in Chambersburg, less than 24 hours after his GOP opponent Doug Mastriano held a campaign rally there.
"I’m ready for this next big fight that happens in 52 days," Shapiro said. "Together we will defeat Doug Mastriano in this governor’s race."
Shapiro laid out his plan for Pennsylvania if elected, from the state's economy to its agriculture.
"When I'm governor will have a $15 an hour minimum wage," Shapiro said. "We will fund the hiring hiring of 2000 more police officers across Pennsylvania."
Other items on his agenda were protecting unions, providing more allocations to farmers, and expanding broadband.
The state Attorney General talked at length about education across the commonwealth, speaking directly to parents in attendance.
“I think, in order to create opportunity in the commonwealth, it starts by investing in public education," Shapiro said.
Among his education policy plans are putting vocational and tech education in all high schools and protecting fine art courses.
Big Spring School District parent Ashley Koontz says Shapiro's plan focuses on what really matters when it comes to her children's classroom experience.
"We can focus more on education and less on people's differing views and ideas and things like that," Koontz said. “They can't spend their entire day just learning book things. They need to have different ways because not everybody learns the same or has the same interests."
Shapiro took questions from reporters, including those about comments made by Sen. Mastriano the night before about crime and safety.
“We’re now 14th in homicide, 8th in overdose deaths,” Sen. Mastriano said during his campaign rally Friday night.
"We have stood tall, when it comes to combating crime," Shapiro said. "That’s one of the reasons why local police support me."
Though the campaign is far from over, polling from Sept. 16 from FiveThirtyEight shows that Shapiro holds a ten-point lead over Mastriano.