On Jan. 17, Democrat Josh Shapiro was sworn in as the 48th governor of the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg.
Shapiro, who is Jewish, took the oath of office with his hand placed on three Hebrew Bibles, one of which taken from the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, according to The Times of Israel, where a mass shooting occurred in 2018. Shapiro succeeded Governor Tom Wolf, who had served as governor of Pennsylvania since 2015.
Along with Shapiro, fellow Democrat Austin Davis was sworn in as lieutenant governor. At 33, Davis is the youngest lieutenant governor in the history of the commonwealth.
Shapiro, who beat Republican opponent Doug Mastriano in the November election, ran a strong campaign that had support from Pennsylvania’s cities to its rural areas, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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