Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro campaigned alongside Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls in Virginia and New Jersey this weekend, fueling speculation he’s preparing for a 2028 White House bid. Shapiro attended campaign and fundraising events in New Jersey on Saturday to support Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) and traveled to Virginia on Sunday in support of former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. The Democrat governor was among the finalists to be Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 presidential election. Shapiro is believed to be among the top Democrat hopefuls for a 2028 White House run. Where in the World is Josh Shapiro? Not leading or doing his job that's for sure. As PA schools and programs all around the state deal with the effects of the Shapiro Shutdown, our wannabe President Shady Josh Shapiro is campaigning in other states. Get back to PA, do… pic.twitter.com/Mq7lW0oNkK — PA GOP (@PAGOP) October 23, 2025 More from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Mr. Shapiro — whose potential political ambitions have been knocked by Republican state Treasurer and gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity — will attend a rally with Ms. Sherrill in Monroe Township Saturday morning, the state’s first day of early voting. Later, he’ll attend a campaign event at a church in New Brunswick. Another potential Democratic presidential hopeful, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, will also headline upcoming campaign and fundraising events for Ms. Sherrill and state Democrats in New Jersey, according to the New Jersey Globe. The high-profile Democrats will appear at upcoming fundraisers for the New Jersey Democratic State Committee with tickets costing $100 to $79,000, the Globe reported. Mr. Shapiro will help raise funds on Saturday, while Mr. Buttigieg is set to appear at a fundraiser in Asbury Park on Oct. 30. Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano, the Republican nominee in the 2022 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, criticized Shapiro for his out-of-state campaign stops. BREAKING: Gov. Josh Shapiro announces “North American Tour 2025” — featuring campaign stops in every state except Pennsylvania.The Senate passed the budget twice.Josh passed the state line twice. Tickets available wherever leadership isn’t.#NoBudgetAskJosh #JetSetJosh pic.twitter.com/EULcpaga9D — Doug Mastriano (@dougmastriano) October 25, 2025 CBS News shared: Shapiro, who is running for re-election to his own office in 2026, has become nationally known for being able to win his tensely divided state. Shapiro and Spanberger — who during her time in Congress repeatedly won a competitive House district — both represent the more moderate part of the Democratic Party at a time when there are clear tensions between centrist-minded politicians and progressive figures on the left about the future. “Here in Virginia we know the stakes of this election. and in fact, we know all the challenges coming at us, from Washington, from bad policies, but what we will do this November is not just vote against something, but we will vote for the policies that we believe in,” Spanberger said at a rally this week. While Shapiro was a potential running mate option for Vice Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, he is now among a group of Democratic governors emphasizing accomplishments and executive leadership at a time when Democrats are looking to the future amid fatigue with Washington-centric rhetoric. In the race to succeed Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who under state law cannot run for another term this year, Spanberger has been viewed as having an advantage over Virginia GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. But statewide races in Virginia can become surprisingly close, and Spanberger has struggled as of late to navigate the backlash to violent text messages, made public recently, that were sent several years ago by Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee in the Virginia Attorney General’s race.