https://www.wesa.fm/politics-government/2022-12-15/shapiros-bipartisanship-talk-welcome-in-fight-weary-capitolDemocratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro will take office next month talking about how voters across the political spectrum in Pennsylvania gave him a mandate, a message he will carry into a state Capitol riven by partisanship and, recently, a breakdown in lawmaking.
Shapiro, the state's two-term attorney general and a former state lawmaker and county commissioner, has possibly a better understanding than any recent predecessor about what it takes to get legislation through the nation's largest full-time Legislature.
To a significant extent, Shapiro starts off in strong position: his fellow Democrats won the House, state coffers are flush with cash and his Republican opponent was weak, peddling far-right views that repelled donors and moderate voters.
Still, the state Senate remains firmly in Republican control, meaning that every new law must have a GOP stamp of approval. Now, five weeks into his transition, Shapiro is stressing bipartisanship, seeding his transition team with Republicans and avoiding radioactive political issues.
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In remarks at a state Republican Party luncheon earlier this month in New York, the Senate's top Republican, Kim Ward of Westmoreland County, said she was optimistic about what could be accomplished. Shapiro, she told the crowd, has a number of priorities that appeal to Republicans.
The House’s top Republican, Bryan Cutler of Lancaster County, said there is a lot of consistency between the things Shapiro has talked about and what House Republicans have made their priorities.“All those are priorities that we are absolutely willing to work on,” Cutler said in an interview.
In turn, Shapiro likely will ask Republicans to bend on what he wants.
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