Josh Shapiro's Game Plan

Talking Feds

Harry Litman

News, Government, Politics

4.8 • 4.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 February 2026

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In his first term as governor of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro has managed to sustain a 60% approval rating—including 30% of Trump voters—in a quintessential battleground state. How? Shapiro talks Harry through his bipartisan, pragmatic approach to governing, and how it can overcome Trump’s reckless, divisive style. He lays out a roadmap for countering the president's most abusive policies, even while respecting the "righteous frustration" that motivated his voters. And Governor Shapiro is coming to San Diego for a live, in-person conversation with Harry about his memoir. Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-conversation-with-josh-shapiro-tickets-1983419713756 Mentioned in this episode: Evan Segal's essay about basketball star Connie Hawkins and Harry's parents: https://harrylitman.substack.com/p/a-tribute-to-my-parents-and-a-pittsburgh Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Vanta.
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0:28.0	vanta.com. Hey folks, Harry here. You're about to hear a great conversation I taped last week
0:35.2	with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. But first, I've got some
0:40.0	exciting news. You'll hear me tease this at the end of our talk, but Governor Shapiro is going to be
0:46.6	coming to San Diego in March for a book event with Talking San Diego. If you're in the San Diego or La Jolla area, be sure not to miss it.
0:58.4	There are details at the link in the show notes.
1:08.1	Welcome to Talking Fed's one-on-one, deep-dive discussions with national figures about the most fascinating and consequential issues defining our culture and shaping our lives. I'm your host, Harry Littman.
1:24.1	Welcome to another Talking Fed's One-on-One. I'm thrilled to welcome one of the highest profile
1:30.7	governors in the country from my home state of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro. In his first term in
1:38.2	office, Governor Shapiro has earned a reputation as a guy who gets stuff done. That's the PG version, starting with the
1:46.4	quick repair job on I-95. He's posted a 60% approval rating, including 30% of Trump voters in the
1:56.2	tightly divided battleground state of Pennsylvania. And I can attest from personal observation as one
2:03.6	five nine Jewish basketball lover to another, he definitely can sink the 20-foot jumper.
	...

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