Ballot guide Pennsylvania primary election 2022: Governor

Pennsylvania's current Governor, Tom Wolf, is unable to run for reelection because of term limits.

Josh Shapiro is the only candidate running for governor in the Democratic primary. For the Republican primary, there are nine candidates on the ballot. 

Democrats

Josh Shapiro

Shapiro, who has served as the attorney general of Pennsylvania since 2017, is running unopposed in the Democratic Primary for governor. As attorney general, he exposed abuse in the Catholic Church, defended reproductive rights in Pennsylvania, and fought against claims of voter fraud in Pennsylvania after the 2020 presidential election. 

“As governor, my top priorities are creating opportunity for Pennsylvania children by improving our education system, building a stronger economy by creating jobs, cutting taxes and lowering costs, and making our communities safer all across the Commonwealth,” Shapiro told the DP. “A robust economy, good schools, and safe communities are the pillars of my vision for Pennsylvania – and making this our reality will guide everything I do as governor."

Republicans

Lou Barletta

Barletta served as a congressman from 2011 to 2019. Prior to serving in the United States Congress, he was the mayor of Hazleton, Pa. and started his own pavement marking business. Barletta believes that Pennsylvania should utilize its natural resources to restore the state’s prominence in the energy sector. He also believes in combatting illegal immigration, supporting law enforcement officers, and school choice. 

Jake Corman

Corman has been in the Pennsylvania Senate since 1999. He was the majority leader from 2015 to 2020 and has been the president pro tempore since 2020. Corman raised questions about the integrity of the 2020 election and said that as Governor he would thoroughly audit the election. He is in favor of creating new manufacturing and energy job opportunities, increasing the quantity of police on the streets, and giving parents a say in the curricula that their children study.  

Joe Gale

Gale has been the commissioner of Montgomery County since 2016. Gale is in favor of the Second Amendment and has voiced his support for former President Donald Trump. He plans to strengthen small businesses, provide more job opportunities for teenagers and middle-class families, lower corporate and gasoline taxes, and increase the quantity of police on the streets. 

Charlie Gerow

Gerow is the current Vice Chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference and the American Conservative Union, as well as the CEO of Quantum Communications. He began his career in politics working under Ronald Reagan. Gerow supports promoting economic growth by reducing taxes and regulations. He  also plans to ban teaching critical race theory and supports the Second Amendment. 

Melissa Hart

Hart served in the Pennsylvania Senate from 1991 to 2001 and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2001 to 2007. Hart plans to cut taxes, build the energy economy in Pennsylvania, protect Second Amendment rights, and is anti-abortion. 

Doug Mastriano 

Mastriano was elected to the State Senate in 2019. Prior to serving in the State Senate, he served in the U.S. Army and was a faculty instructor at the U.S. Army War College. He plans to ban all COVID-19 vaccine mandates, increase election security, end contracts with “compromised voting machine companies,” ban critical race theory, and protect Second Amendment rights.

Mastriano has been criticized for helping organize transportation for Trump supporters to the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 and for calling for an audit of 2020 election results in Pennsylvania. 

Bill McSwain

McSwain has served as a U.S. Marine and was appointed by Trump as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. McSwain’s platforms include cracking down on crime, creating jobs and lowering taxes, banning critical race theory, combating the opioid crisis, protecting Second Amendment rights, lowering gas prices, and supporting energy production in Pennsylvania. 

David White

White was a steamfitter and founded his own HVAC company before serving as a Delaware County Councilmember. White believes in increasing funding for police, increased parental involvement in school curricula, and banning critical race theory. White is also an advocate for for children with special needs.

Nche Zama

Zama is a cardiothoracic surgeon, having completed his training at the Cleveland Clinic and Harvard University, and holds a master’s degree from Harvard in management. He told the DP how valuable he believes it would be to have a scientist as governor, given the expertise scientists could bring to the table to combat future public health crises. 

Zama’s platform centers around improving education in Pennsylvania, establishing measures to address future health crises, and addressing business inequities. Zama told the DP that he wants to be a governor for Pennsylvania’s children. 

“I understand the needs and concerns of our students,” Zama told the DP. “I want to drive our educational system to a level of excellence. I won’t accept anything less than Pennsylvania being the leader in education.”