Pennsylvania is one of the 36 states that’ll be having its gubernatorial elections on November 8, 2022. While many elections are no doubt significant in their own right, the election in PA holds a level of importance on the national political landscape. This is due to the fact that, historically, the political leaning of Pennsylvania’s governor is often an instrumental element in deciding the next president of the country.

The incumbent governor, democrat Tom Wolf is one of the nine (9) democrats that are term-limited this year. As the sitting governor won’t be up for re-election, this has left the field open to two main candidates; Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican Doug Mastriano.

#Shapiro is the current Attorney General of the state and assumed that office on the January 17, 2017. Before that, he served as a member of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and was also a member of the state’s House of Representatives. This candidate is hinging his campaign on the work he’s done since he became AG. He believes that the exposure the office has given him, especially where workers’ issues, LGBTQ issues, and other social issues are concerned, helps him understand the pain points of Pennsylvanians more intimately. His current running mate for lieutenant governor is state Representative Austin Davis.

#Mastriano is a current senator representing District 33. He was sworn into the office on the June 10, 2019. He amassed 3 decades of service in the U.S. Army before that time, serving from 1988 to 2017. In those 29 years, he secured four (4) master's degrees in military affairs before finally getting a Ph.D. in history in 2013. As a gubernatorial candidate, Mastriano has been very vocal about issues like banning aborting from as early as six (6) weeks, rescinding mask and vaccine mandates, and banning similar mandates in the future. His running mate is state Representative Carrie DelRosso.

Both candidates share widely opposing views yet are united by the fact that they want the very best for PA. So, the question for debate is, who would make a better governor for Pennsylvania, Republican Doug Mastriano or Democrat Josh Shapiro?