Davis Recalls City Roots in Re-Election Rally

Says Shapiro will fight for Pennsylvania with ‘hope, not fear’

By Tom Leturgey
The Tube City Almanac
January 11, 2026
Posted in: Politics & Elections

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis speaks to supporters at a Thursday campaign rally in Robinson Twp. The Democrat from McKeesport will seek re-nomination in the May 19 primary along with Gov. Josh Shapiro. (Tom Leturgey photo for Tube City Almanac)

Austin Davis announced his bid for re-election as lieutenant governor in front of a packed house of orange T-shirt wearing union members, community and business leaders, as well as elected officials on Thursday afternoon.

“It's so great to be all you here in Pittsburgh and my own community here in Western Pennsylvania,” Davis said at the Carpenters’ Union building in Robinson Twp., near the Parkway West.

A McKeesport native, Davis called his three years serving as lieutenant governor under Gov. Josh Shapiro “one of the highest honors of my life.” Shapiro also announced his plans to seek re-election on Thursday.

“Every single day, I've been laser-focused on what really matters here in Pennsylvania, our families, our communities and the responsibilities that we have to one another,” he said he didn’t get involved “for a title or for a spotlight. I got involved because of what I saw as a kid growing up in McKeesport.”

“I was 16 years old, and a man was shot on my block, I remember standing there and feeling helpless, I remember my sense of safety and security being shattered, and I remember thinking that nobody should have to live in a community where they don't feel safe,” Davis said. “No parents should have to wonder whether their child is going to make it home at night and no family should do everything right.”

That experience “led me to my first city council meeting. It led me to run for office and it’s still what drives me today.”

Prior to running for lieutenant governor in 2022, Davis served as state representative for the 35th District. He previously had worked as an aide to former Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Shapiro, who hails from eastern Pennsylvania, chose Davis for a variety of reasons, including his Western Pennsylvania roots. Davis is the commonwealth’s first Black lieutenant governor.

Shapiro is not expected to have a Democratic challenger in the spring primary; however, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity is running for the seat as a Republican. A supporter of President Trump, her campaign is expected to be a favorite and attract wide financial support.

The spotlight will be on Shapiro beyond Pennsylvania. After he was considered as a vice-presidential candidate in 2024, observers have suggested he is likely to run for president in 2028.

Davis said he was “proud” to support Shapiro and talked about the governor’s record, which he said included securing $25 million for recruiting and retaining childcare workers.

“The winner of all this is the more than 50,000 child care workers across Pennsylvania,” he said. “We tripled the childcare tax credit, putting real money back in the pockets of working families.” 

Davis said the Shapiro administration also has worked to reduce violence, by investing in law enforcement and funding community-based organizations “that are doing the work to keep our community safe,” as well as after-school programs designed to divert young people from criminal activity.

Becoming a father while serving as lieutenant governor has changed his perspective, Davis said.

“It changed why I wake up in the morning,” he said. “It gave new meaning to every decision that I make as your lieutenant governor and in my life and it made me fight even harder for the kind of Pennsylvania; I want her to grow up in.”

Davis’ wife, Blayre, and their two-year-old daughter Harper attended the announcement along with his parents.

The 2026 campaign will be held at a time when political polarization across the United States remains high. Davis alluded to the divide in his remarks.

“This past year was marked by reckless decisions, crisis after crisis and fear and dysfunction used as a political weapon,” he said. “But here in Pennsylvania, we've chosen a different path to put progress over partisanship, compassion over division and solutions that work above all else.”

If re-elected, Davis said, the Shapiro administration will focus on fighting for Pennsylvania “with hope, not fear and leadership that gets stuff done.”

He added that Shapiro has become more than a political ally, but also a friend: “Someone I know I can count on no matter the moment, whether we're talking about how to support families across Pennsylvania, or when I'm calling him late night when I need advice on how to get Harper the sleep, I can always count on him.”

Tom Leturgey is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh and the editor of KSWA Digest, the online news and features home of the Keystone State Wrestling Alliance. His work also appears in The Valley Mirror and other publications.

Originally published January 11, 2026.

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