Lt. Gov. Austin Davis has officially jumped into the 2026 race for a second term, leaning hard on a message of public safety and investment in young people as the core of his campaign. The Mon Valley native says his tenure so far has centered on cutting gun violence, expanding after-school options and updating the state’s pardons process. If voters send him back to Harrisburg, he would continue serving alongside Gov. Josh Shapiro as the administration works to push those priorities across Pennsylvania.
Davis rolled out his reelection effort this winter with events across the commonwealth, joining Shapiro in a multi-city launch that set the political tempo for the year, as reported by City & State Pennsylvania. The campaign is framing his return bid around community-safety spending and expanded youth programs tied directly to the state boards he chairs.
What His Job Looks Like
As lieutenant governor, Davis presides over the Pennsylvania Senate and heads up several boards that help shape criminal-justice and local-government policy. According to PA.gov, his portfolio includes chairing the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the state Board of Pardons, positions that give him a front-row seat on how public-safety dollars and clemency decisions play out.
Policy Wins He’s Highlighting
In a recent update, the lieutenant governor's office pointed to a major round of public-safety spending as proof of progress: "Yesterday, PCCD approved a total of $56.5 million in funding for 113 projects," the statement noted. The administration has used that tally to highlight $11.6 million in BOOST after-school awards and more than $85 million in violence-intervention grants.
The same state press release also calls out other pieces of the Shapiro-Davis agenda, including a $4 million federal award for hospital-based violence intervention, along with increased support for nonprofit security and county 911 funding, according to PA.gov.
The Primary Picture
This spring, Davis is running unopposed in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor, while Republicans are battling it out for their own spot on the ticket, per Spotlight PA. The primary will serve as an early read on how the Shapiro-Davis record is landing in Pittsburgh-area neighborhoods and the suburbs that ring Pennsylvania’s major cities.
Endorsements And Local Backing
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party formally endorsed the Shapiro-Davis ticket in February, giving Davis statewide institutional backing as campaign season heats up, according to the party announcement from the PA Democratic Party. The Pennsylvania State Education Association has also recommended the pair, praising their record on school funding and supports for children, per PSEA.
What Comes Next
The primary is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, and county filings already list Davis on the Democratic ticket, according to official county records. On the campaign website, his team is spotlighting a spring and summer slate of local stops across western Pennsylvania to promote the administration’s violence-prevention and after-school initiatives, with an extra spotlight on Mon Valley communities where Davis first built his political profile.
