Democrat Josh Shapiro wins reelection for governor in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (Democrat) won his bid for a second term, according to unofficial election results on Nov. 3.

Shapiro held off Republican challenger Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania's state treasurer, in the race to be the commonwealth's top lawmaker. The AP called the race quickly after polls closed in the state, with Shapiro snagging 80% of votes in early results.

Issues such as data center development and rising electricity costs were at the forefront of the gubernatorial election.

In August, Shapiro signed an executive order that requires new data centers to fund their own electricity use. Before receiving approval for permits, they must also confirm their intent to comply with four best-practice standards: energy affordability; transparency and community engagement; workforce and economic development; and environmental protection.

Garrity proposed a pause on future data center development and called for prioritizing brownfield sites and giving opportunity to local residents to have "final say" on projects. Garrity also proposed requiring data centers to supply their own energy and water sources.

Garrity promised to hold a special session on energy affordability as part of plans to "cut taxes and eliminate hidden costs on electric bills," while requiring full bill transparency and fast-tracking new power plants to meet demand and lower costs.

In late April, Shapiro sent a letter to utility executives informing them that the administration will "vocally and forcefully oppose rate case requests from utilities" that do not adhere to certain "commonsense practices," including transparency and necessity, that will serve as benchmarks to evaluate rate case proposals.

Days later, Exelon utility subsidiary Peco Energy filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to withdraw $510 million in requests for electric and gas rate increases.

Shapiro has also been critical of rising capacity prices in the PJM Interconnection. The governor reached a settlement with PJM in early 2025 that set a price cap and floor on clearing prices for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 capacity auctions.

In April, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved an extension of the existing price collar for PJM's next two forward capacity auctions, beginning with the 2028-29 delivery year.

Shapiro takes an "all of the above" energy approach, which includes expanding the state's clean energy resources.

Shapiro has served at the helm of a divided legislature. The Pennsylvania General Assembly features a Republican-controlled State Senate and a slim Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

Elections were held Nov. 3 for 25 seats in the Pennsylvania Senate, with all 203 seats in the state's House of Representatives up for election.