HARRISBURG, Pa. — At the end of the inaugural ball, Governor Shapiro will begin laying the groundwork for his legislative priorities.
With Tuesday's oath of office, Josh Shapiro officially became Pennsylvania's newest governor. While the inaugural celebration continues throughout the night, many challenges lie ahead for the new administration.
"He's going to have to lay out what his initiatives are and then spend his political capital as wisely as he can," said John Jones, the president of Dickinson College.
Jones also served under former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. He says the first 100 days of a new administration are full of promise as new cabinet members are picked and legislative priorities are laid out.
However, he also adds that the honeymoon from the inauguration won't last too long.
"The general assembly will flex its muscles, it won't be too long before that happens, then there'll be contentiousness," said Jones.
Shapiro comes into office with Republicans in control of the Senate and a slight minority in the House.
"It's always difficult to govern with a divided government," said Stephen Medvic a government affairs professor at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster.
"There are a few things I think both parties will be willing and interested to come to the table and deal with," he continued.
Medvic says the Shapiro administration will be working to push forward their agenda while learning the ropes in the governor's office.
"It's a pretty complicated dance at this point," he said.
"As tough as things are in Washington, Pennsylvania politics are pretty brutal," said Jones.