LOCK HAVEN, Pa. — Josh Shapiro may be heavily favored to win reelection as Pennsylvania governor, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a lot on the line for him this year.

Shapiro, who is just beginning to hit the campaign trail, wants voters to give Democrats control of the state legislature for the first time in decades. And he’s pushing his favored candidates in competitive congressional primaries, an attempt to mold his party’s slate in the midterm elections that will determine control of Washington.

All of this means that, much like other potential Democratic presidential candidates, Shapiro is testing his political capital in ways that could shape his future and the party’s.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker successfully boosted his favored candidate in his state’s U.S. Senate primary. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore failed to convince lawmakers to redraw the state’s congressional map, while California Gov. Gavin Newsom achieved redistricting through a voter referendum last year.

Shapiro brushed off questions — and Republican criticism — about burnishing his credentials for a White House run.

“The only thing I am focused on is beating my opponent for governor and helping other Democrats get elected here and sending a clear message to Donald Trump that the chaos, cruelty and corruption that he’s been engaged in is not something that we support here in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro told The Associated Press after speaking to Democrats at a packed coffee shop in small-town Lock Haven.

Shapiro has never said whether he’s interested in running for president. But he does say he wants a voice in his party’s future. Democrats need to figure out how to “get stuff done” to make people’s lives better, he said, and he wants to be “part of that conversation.”

Stacy Garrity, the Republican state treasurer who is running for governor, said Shapiro can’t hide his ambition — and it’s bad for the state.

“We all know that he’s more interested in Pennsylvania Avenue than helping Pennsylvania families,” she said in an interview. “He thinks if he can hand Pennsylvania on a platter to the Democratic Party, then maybe they take a harder look at him.”

An opportunity to demonstrate strength

They just might.

Pennsylvania is a hard state to succeed in politically, and Democrats around the country are taking note of Shapiro because of that, said Paul Begala, a Democratic campaign strategist, commentator and senior aide to Bill Clinton when he was president.

The election gives Shapiro an opportunity to demonstrate strength.

“Right now, Democrats, the thing they want the most is a winner, and a very close second is a fighter,” Begala said. “This election is an opportunity for him to show that.”

Ahead of this year’s campaign, Shapiro put his stamp on the Pennsylvania Democratic Party by getting committee people to elect his hand-picked chair and plunging more than $900,000 so far this election cycle into the organization’s accounts.

He’s on track to break his own state fundraising record and tells voters that Pennsylvania is the “center of the political universe” in the fight for control of the U.S. House.

Democrats want to flip four House seats in Pennsylvania. Shapiro’s endorsed candidates include Paige Cognetti, mayor of Scranton; Bob Brooks, president of the state firefighters’ union; and Janelle Stelson, a former television news personality who narrowly lost two years ago.

Shapiro already cut an ad for Brooks, who is running in a hotly contested four-way primary for the chance to challenge freshman Republican U.S. Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Contested primaries and GOP surrogates

Shapiro’s endorsements haven’t scared off Democratic rivals.

Ryan Crosswell, a former federal prosecutor running against Brooks, issued a campaign memo that — in a veiled reference to the governor — said Crosswell has “no party machine behind him, no power broker network, no favors to call in.”

For his part, Shapiro said: “I’m just focused on trying to elevate good people. Hopefully they’ll all win.”

Republicans, meanwhile, have their own surrogates.

Garrity said the White House asked her for a list of people she wants to visit in Pennsylvania.

Trump, Vice President JD Vance and a number of Cabinet secretaries have already visited the state’s contested congressional districts. Earlier this month, House Speaker Mike Johnson made a fundraising swing through Pennsylvania.

“We know the majority runs through Pennsylvania and the speaker is focused on doing everything he can to help those members defend their seats,” said Greg Steele, a spokesperson for Johnson’s political operation.

It’s quite likely Johnson will be back: Pennsylvania was his last campaign stop before the 2024 election.

Trump and Vance could return, too, and in the meantime, the president is keeping an eye on Pennsylvania. On Tuesday night, he took to social media to take credit for a decision by owners of two coal-fired power plants not to close in what he called a “BIG WIN for the Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which I love.”

Shapiro starts hitting the campaign trail

As he begins to campaign, Shapiro is proving himself to be a draw even in Pennsylvania’s out-of-the-way areas. Earlier this month, he helped pack a ballroom for Centre County Democrats and the coffee shop for Clinton County Democrats.

“I saw brand-new people, I saw people who have not been engaged in the party in years,” Bre Brannan, Clinton County’s Democratic Party chair, said. The crowd included Republicans and independents, too, she said.

With a Democratic “trifecta,” Shapiro tells audiences he could get more done, citing legislation Republicans have stalled. That includes raising Pennsylvania’s rock-bottom minimum wage and expanding legal protections for LGBT residents. He also has a housing affordability plan he’s pushing this year.

Consolidating control of the state Legislature would be no small feat. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the state House and haven’t held the state Senate majority in over three decades.

Few Democrats in the party’s 2028 presidential sights have an opportunity to demonstrate political strength and party-building aptitude in swing states.

The opportunity could help Shapiro prove his mettle when the presidential campaign season cranks up and would-be candidates go in search of institutional support, endorsements and donor commitments.

Pouring money into down-ballot races and flipping seats may not help Shapiro with the average voter. But activists, donors and other elected officials care a great deal about that, strategists say.

Success would strengthen Shapiro’s hand at a time when candidates are trying to win the “perception campaign” that they are the strongest candidate, Democratic campaign strategist Mike Mikus said.

“It doesn’t guarantee anything,” Mikus said. “But it is definitely something to bring to the table when you’re lining up donors, endorsements and finance chairs, things like that. It’s compelling to them.”

76 dogs, 15 cats and kittens, and two Flemish rabbits were removed from a residence in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, after officials said they were found living in deplorable conditions.

Pennsylvania SPCA shared that their law enforcement team had responded to a home on High Ride Road in Columbia, after receiving a tip from concerned citizens.

When officers arrived at the property, officials said they detected a foul odor coming from the outside of the residence, which grew stronger as they approached the front door and the garage connected to the home.

Through a window of the residence, officials said officers saw several dogs in distress, including a black Newfoundland-type dog with heavily matted fur, a Shih Tzu-type dog with matting throughout the body, several shepherd-type dogs, and a Chihuahua with significant hair loss.

Officers also found piles of excrement and pools of liquid throughout the interior of the residence.

A fenced-in porch area was coated with feces, and multiple dogs were also seen in crates in the garage, living in feces-laden conditions, officials shared. Those dogs included a mother German Shepherd and her puppies were found crammed into a crate.

Pennsylvania SPCA

Pennsylvania SPCA

After executing a search warrant, officials said officers were able to confirm the severity of the animal’s conditions and they began removing the animals.

Among the animals removed, officials said many were covered in fecal matter and suffered from extreme matting, fur staining, hair loss on the face and body, and scabbing. Some animals were even found living in hutches, while others were confined to crates zip-tied shut.

After all 93 animals were removed from the property, officials said they were turned over to the Pennsylvania SPCA and are now undergoing forensic medical examinations.

Pennsylvania SPCA

Pennsylvania SPCA

Pennsylvania SPCA

Pennsylvania SPCA

Officials said more information about their conditions and potential charges will be provided following those examinations. The charges could include knowingly, recklessly, or intentionally ill-treating an animal, failure to provide access to clean and sanitary shelter and lack of veterinary care.

“The conditions these animals were forced to endure were truly heartbreaking,” said Nicole Wilson, Director of Animal Law Enforcement and Shelter Operations at the Pennsylvania SPCA. “Ninety-three animals living in filth, without clean water, adequate shelter, or basic care – this is why our team works around the clock to respond to these calls. We are grateful to the Good Samaritan who spoke up, the officers from West Hempfield Township and Lancaster County Sheriff Deputies who were committed to the safe removal of all animals and we are committed to ensuring each of these animals receives the care they deserve.”

Anyone with information about this case, or other cases involving animal cruelty, is urged to call the Pennsylvania SPCA’s Cruelty Hotline at (866) 601-SPCA. Tips can also be left anonymously.

Mid Valley sixth, seventh and eighth grade students toured the Pennsylvania American Water treatment plant near Lake Scranton. They were given a detailed presentation about the water treatment process that they perform daily.

They also were given the opportunity to design their own water treatment models using various items at the exhibit. Students got a behind-the-scenes look at all the different occupations at Pennsylvania American Water Company that many were unaware of.