Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro speaks with members of the media during a news conference at the Susquehanna County District Courthouse in Montrose, Pa., Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. Pennsylvania’s most active gas driller has pleaded no contest to criminal environmental charges in a landmark pollution case. Houston-based Coterra Energy Inc. entered its plea Tuesday. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
By MARC LEVY Associated Press
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro will take office next month talking about how voters across the political spectrum in Pennsylvania gave him a mandate. It’s a message he’ll carry into a state Capitol riven by partisanship and, recently, a breakdown in lawmaking. Shapiro starts off in strong position: his fellow Democrats won the House and state coffers are flush with cash. 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.