The 2026 race for governor is shaping up as another ho-hum election.
Pennsylvania’s recent governors have done little, in the way of systemic change, to alter the state’s downward trajectory. Recent economic assessments in Rich States, Poor States ranks Pennsylvania 34th for Economic Outlook and 45th for Economic Performance, while CNBC’s 2025 Top States for Business ranks Pennsylvania 37th for workforce and 40th for business friendliness.
A look at the major initiatives of recent governors shows each had a signature issue and none had a comprehensive vision for Pennsylvania’s future. Ed Rendell pushed a $2.8 billion economic-stimulus strategy and statewide property-tax relief; Tom Corbett signed Act 89, a major transportation-funding law that added $2.4 billion annually for roads, bridges, transit, and multimodal projects, and Tom Wolf signed bipartisan pension reform while also expanding Medicaid coverage. Although each was needed and provided tangible benefits to Pennsylvanians, none of these initiatives propelled Pennsylvania into a more competitive future.
Governor Shapiro would have had little to run on for reelection if the standard were changing Pennsylvania’s long-term trajectory. That does not mean he is without accomplishments. His administration can point to reopening I-95 in 12 days after the 2023 collapse; expanding access to state jobs by removing four-year-degree requirements for most positions; modernizing permitting, licensing, and certification processes; securing bipartisan budgets with large increases for K-12 education, workforce development, public safety, and economic development; and launching Pennsylvania’s first statewide economic-development strategy in nearly two decades while claiming billions in private-sector investment and thousands of new jobs.
Those are real accomplishments. They matter, but they are not visionary, systemic changes needed to alter Pennsylvania’s trajectory to bend the curve on failing urban schools, fragile state fiscal structure, population growth trends, and weak competitive positioning among states.
Sadly, Shapiro could have run on fixing I-95 in 12 days and won which points out our low expectations for our governor and his opponent’s lack of a visionary platform required to create a counter-narrative.
But then, serendipitously, the data-center issue arrived just in time for campaign season. It is an issue that ignites every modern anxiety: security, jobs, safety, environment, affordability, and quality of life. It also stokes suspicion that politically connected developers are wired to get the deals they want and let the public be damned.
So instead of a serious debate about Pennsylvania’s future the 2026 campaign has turned into a familiar exchange of allegations over who is too close to the data-center industry. That is the way politics works: a complicated governing question becomes an oversimplified campaign soundbite.
The unfortunate thing is that neither candidate has presented a vision of NEXT for Pennsylvania. President John F. Kennedy framed the right standard in his speech at Rice University in September 1962: “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” That is the difference between leadership and management. Leadership asks people to do hard things to create a better future, and a manager simply redecorates the room.
In 2026, Shapiro cannot lose this race. He is not running just for governor; he is also auditioning for a run for president in 2028. Pennsylvanians are getting a safe, no-mistakes, no-surprises campaign that is long on projecting his image as a “safe choice” for Democrats for president and short on a bold vision for our future.
This race is more about what is next for Josh Shapiro than it is about what is next for Pennsylvania. Within months after his reelection, Shapiro will be in South Carolina stomping for votes. His focus will shift to national issues and foreign policy. He will become the face of liberal and moderate Democrats seeking an identity other than socialist or communist.
There is nothing wrong with a drive to succeed, but in politics, ambition is fed by taking the safe route rather than the road less traveled. Stacy Garrity, Shapiro’s Republican opponent, is also playing it safe. She is running on Republican mainstay issues, including lower costs and taxes, government reform, and economic growth, while pointing out her military and private-sector experience. These are more talking points rather than a bold vision for our future.
John F. Kennedy put a man on the moon in less than a decade. In 2030, we can hope that Pennsylvania will be blessed with a candidate for governor with a vision just as bold. By then, Pennsylvania will also have many data centers.
Dennis M. Powell is a strategic leadership advisor and author. His new book, Now to Next: The Art & Science of Strategic Leadership, is available now.
