Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) appeared to position himself as a Make America Healthy Again (MAHA)-style Democrat as speculation continues to swirl about potential 2028 presidential contenders.
In a Monday episode of GZERO Media, Shapiro claimed that Democrats are the party of “real freedom,” including allowing parents to make their own decisions about vaccines for their children.
“I think Democrats are the party of real freedom, real freedom that allows women to make decisions over their own bodies, allows parents like me and my wife, Lori, to make decisions over what vaccines our kids are going to be able to get,” Shapiro said.
His remarks are notable because parental authority over vaccine decisions has become one of the defining issues of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Kennedy and his supporters have repeatedly argued that families, rather than government officials, should have the final say over medical decisions involving their children.
Discussing vaccines in an interview in March, Kennedy said, “I’m a freedom-of-choice person. We should have transparency. We should have informed choice, and if people don’t want it, the government shouldn’t force them to do it.”
Shapiro’s comments come amid continued speculation about his political future. It was reported in January that his 2026 reelection campaign was widely viewed as a stepping stone to a potential White House run, noting that he launched his campaign “as 2028 White House buzz swirls.”
While Shapiro is frequently mentioned as a potential 2028 contender, a recent poll showed him with only 3% support among Democrat voters. The survey was dominated by former Vice President Kamala Harris at 37%, followed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom at 17%.
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