A Competent Pragmatist in Divided Times

Mr. Shapiro’s name has arisen as a possible presidential candidate in 2028—or even 2024, if something happens to Mr. Biden. For now, he’s deftly threading the needle of being a loyal partisan in a closely divided state. He says he disagrees with Mr. Biden over policies affecting Pennsylvania, including the pause on liquefied natural-gas exports, which harms Pennsylvanians who earn royalties from fracking on their land. He says he’s told the president that “I don’t like this pause, and I’ve said the pause should be limited and it should be quick.”

Naturally he supports Mr. Biden’s re-election, but he won’t disparage Trump voters—many of whom are also Shapiro voters—by calling them “extreme MAGA Republicans.”

“I might have a different view,” he says, “but I do respect it. And so, if you choose to vote for Donald Trump and Josh Shapiro, I assume you’ve carefully thought about it and you have your rationale and your reason for it. Now, I might try to convince you that Joe Biden’s a better alternative, but I try to do it in a respectful way.”