GOP candidate for governor Bill McSwain says state Attorney General Josh Shapiro is “politicizing” his position as part of his candidacy for governor, and he needs to go.

“I am calling on Josh Shapiro to immediately resign from his post as Attorney General,” McSwain said. “During his time in office, Josh Shapiro has taken every opportunity to politicize his position and prioritize personal advancement over upholding and enforcing the law. Now, as a candidate for Governor, he has made it clear that he plans to cast aside his responsibilities as AG in favor of the campaign trail. This is unacceptable – and furthermore, it is immoral.”

McSwain, who served as U.S. Attorney for southeastern Pennsylvania until January, has made crime a central part of his bid for the GOP nomination. He’s pointed to growing violent crime in Philadelphia, where there have been 400 homicides in 2021, an all-time record, among other instances of crime around the state.

“While Shapiro rides around the state in a campaign bus making jokes about sandwiches and cheese sticks, violent crimes are going unpunished and unacknowledged,” said McSwain. “Only someone completely lacking in integrity would continue acting as an absentee AG while citizens suffer. Pennsylvania deserves an Attorney General who will put public safety first, and who will not demean the office with political motivations. Josh Shapiro must resign.”

Shapiro previously stated that he does not intend to resign from his post as Attorney General while campaigning and at an event in Harrisburg said he has “too much work to do in the AG’s office, so I’m going to keep doing that work.”

A spokesman fired back, saying in the last two weeks Shapiro: “announced that his office has convicted a doctor for dangerous prescription practices; announced that a Fayette County priest has pleaded no contest to child sexual abuse; convened a discussion with local law enforcement leaders in southwestern Pennsylvania to talk about what can be done to address the police officer shortage, reiterating his call for the Legislature to allocate $28.5 million to address the issue;  arrested a man for stealing from intellectually disabled individuals to receive up to $90,000 in unemployment benefits. announced that his office worked with the New Jersey Attorney General’s office to arrest a man who illegally purchased more than a dozen ghost guns.”

However, McSwain said that instead of addressing the onslaught of violence, Shapiro has been traveling in his campaign bus, “proudly promoting his mini-fridge stocked full of the children’s snack ‘Uncrustables’ and encouraging people to follow him on TikTok.”

Thus far, Shapiro is the only Democrat in the race. The Republican field currently includes former U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Gale, Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry President Guy Ciarrocchi, political strategist Charlie Gerow, surgeon Nche Zama, state Sen. Dan Laughlin and Pittsburgh attorney Jason Richey.

 

 

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