PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from May 13.
Democratic candidate for governor Josh Shapiro says that he has tested positive for COVID-19.
Shapiro tweeted out the announcement on May 17, Primary Election Day, after he said he took a precautionary COVID-19 test before heading to Johnstown and Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Now, Shapiro says he will be isolating at home while battling mild symptoms.
“I’m experiencing some mild symptoms and will continue serving the people of Pennsylvania as I isolate at home,” he tweeted Tuesday morning, about 90 minutes after the polls opened.
He noted that he will be back on the campaign trail next week, and urged residents to go vote today.
Democrats are united behind the state’s two-term elected attorney general, as he is uncontested on the primary ballot. Shapiro had previously wrapped up the endorsement of the state party and its top allies, including the AFL-CIO, and has raised more than $20 million since early 2021.
Shapiro helped cement his reputation with a landmark grand jury investigation into child sexual abuse coverups inside Pennsylvania’s Roman Catholic dioceses and defending Pennsylvania’s 2020 election result against attempts in court to overturn it by Trump and his allies.
On the Republican side, a crowded field of candidates is led by Doug Mastriano, a retired U.S. Army colonel and state senator since 2019.
Mastriano recently won the endorsement of Donald Trump after working with the former president to overturn his loss in the 2020 election in the presidential battleground state and helping spread Trump’s lies that widespread voter fraud cost him victory. Many party officials urged Trump not to endorse Mastriano, fearing he cannot win over the moderate voters necessary to prevail in politically divided Pennsylvania.
Republican voters will see nine names on the ballot for governor, even though two — Jake Corman and Melissa Hart — say they have ended their campaigns and endorsed former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta as part of a last-ditch attempt to help defeat Mastriano.
Barletta has picked up a number of endorsements by current and former Republican officeholders, including members of Congress.