FILE – Al Schmidt, former city commissioner of Philadelphia, testifies as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol continues to reveal its findings of a year-long investigation, at the Capitol in Washington, on June 13, 2022. Schmidt, a former Philadelphia election official who has told of enduring death threats whipped up by Donald Trump for defending the city’s 2020 vote-counting against the former president’s election lies, will be nominated for the top election administration post in Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s administration. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Philadelphia election official who has told of enduring death threats whipped up by Donald Trump for defending the city’s 2020 vote-counting against the former president’s lies will be nominated for the top election administration post in Pennsylvania by the incoming governor, Josh Shapiro. The Democrat said Thursday that Al Schmidt will be nominated to be secretary of state. That sets up Schmidt to oversee what is expected to be a hard-fought 2024 election in the critical presidential battleground of Pennsylvania. Shapiro made the post his first Cabinet selection to be publicly announced ahead of his Jan. 17 inauguration. The 51-year-old Schmidt is a Republican.