Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is ready if his boss gets a new job

Pittsburgh, Pa. — If Gov. Josh Shapiro becomes vice president, Lt. Gov. Austin Davis would become Pennsylvania’s youngest and first-ever Black governor.

Shapiro is widely believed to be one of several Democrats under consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Harris is the likely Democratic nominee for president, after President Joe Biden bowed out of his reelection bid on July 21. If Shapiro ascends to higher office and steps aside, Davis would serve the remainder of his term.

Shapiro, who appeared Monday at a campaign rally for Harris in Montgomery County with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer — another Democrat believed to be in the veepstakes — has thus far deflected most questions about whether he’s in conversations about joining the Democratic ticket. He said last week it was a “deeply personal decision … that should be made really free from any political pressure.”

Like Shapiro, Davis is not speculating about hypothetical situations, instead preferring to tout some of the things he’s proudest of accomplishing as part of the Shapiro-Davis administration.

“I’m incredibly blessed to have had this position for almost two years now,” Davis told the Capital-Star in an interview. “Every day that I get up and get to serve as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor is an incredible honor.”

Davis, 34, worked as a senior advisor in Allegheny County government for former County Executive Rich Fitzgerald before he was elected to fill the vacant 35th District House seat in a 2018 special election. He was reelected twice, and when he ran for lieutenant governor, Shapiro, the only Democrat running for governor in 2022, endorsed Davis in the primary.

Davis often tells the story of how he got into politics: When he was 16, someone was shot in his McKeesport neighborhood. After going to a city council meeting he realized there was not only a lack of representation but no one in local government was speaking about gun violence. He started a violence prevention initiative with some of his peers.

Preventing gun violence has continued to be a key part of Davis’ work in state government. “The work I’ve done around gun violence here in Pennsylvania is a particular point of pride,” he told the Capital-Star. “We got a $5 million increase over last year for a total of $45 million to help stamp out gun violence and community based violence in our communities.”

He added that the administration plans to move forward with standing up the state Office of Gun Violence Prevention “which will help us better coordinate our efforts to take on gun violence across the Commonwealth.”

He also touted the $11.5 million investment in after-school programs included in the latest budget, which will be disbursed through the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

Davis has endorsed Harris for president, but declined to say whether he and Shapiro have discussed the vice president’s search for a running mate.

“I will just say that the conversations that the governor and I have are private,” he told the Capital-Star in an interview. “I’m going to keep them private, but I will say this: As lieutenant governor, I have a job to do, and I have a constitutional duty, and I’m going to continue to do that job, regardless of what happens. You take this job knowing that one day you might be called upon to serve as governor, and if that happens, we’ll be ready.”