Pennsylvania attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro criticized the reimplementation of Philadelphia’s indoor mask mandate this week, joining the growing ranks of state Democratic officials looking to move past such pandemic policies.
The Philadelphia Department of Health announced this week it would reimplement its indoor mask mandate in response to a rise in COVID-19 cases. In remarks during an interview with CNN on Monday, Shapiro was asked about the city’s decision.
DEMOCRATIC REP. KAI KAHELE OF HAWAII HAS NOT VOTED IN PERSON SINCE JANUARY
“Look, that’s a decision that the mayor made. I certainly didn’t make it,” Shapiro said. “And I’m not a supporter of these mandates. What I’m a supporter of is educating and empowering the public so that they can make responsible decisions. But I think those kinds of mandates are counterproductive, particularly at this time.”
The remarks earned praise from conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, who wrote on Twitter that Shapiro may prove “almost impossible to beat in the Keystone State contest, instantly becoming a leader of the largely leaderless [Democrats].”
He would have made a superb VP nominee for Democrats and he’s going to be almost impossible to beat in the Keystone State contest, instantly becoming a leader of the largely leaderless Ds. @JoshShapiroPA has some throwback Dem attractiveness. Lots of it actually. https://t.co/sSgv7mOwmu
— Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) April 11, 2022
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, said earlier this year that Democrats need to “communicate a clear off-ramp” from the pandemic to the public before November’s elections.
Blue states with Democratic officials, including Delaware, Connecticut, and New Jersey, have recently eased restrictions and have not implemented them even with increases in infections in some places. Washington, D.C., also dropped its indoor mask mandate despite a regional increase in infections that included some elected officials such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Colorado Democratic Gov. Jared Polis was among the first governors in the country in either party to lift statewide mask mandates, opting for local officials to set their own rules rather than banning mandates outright as some Republican governors did when mask usage as a mitigation effort became politicized.
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An Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index poll this week found that the percentage of people who support their state or local government requiring masks in all public places has also dropped below 50% for the first time in their survey. Currently, just 44% support such requirements, down from 50% last month and 67% in January, while infections from the omicron variant of the virus spiked.
Shapiro has the Democratic gubernatorial primary field locked up ahead of the May 17 primary. Republicans have a crowded field, vying for their party’s nomination. The winner in November will succeed Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, who is retiring after eight years due to term limits.
