Congressman Dan Meuser opts against run for governor in 2026

We don’t yet know which Republicans will seek to challenge Gov. Josh Shapiro in the 2026 election cycle, but we do know at least one candidate who won’t be running against him next year: U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser. 

Meuser said in an announcement Tuesday night that he has decided to remain in Congress and will “forgo a campaign for Governor of Pennsylvania,” putting an end to speculation about a potential gubernatorial bid in 2026. 

Meuser had been rumored as a potential challenger to Shapiro next year, and appeared to shore up the support of President Donald Trump. “If you run, you’ve got my support,” Trump said at a rally in Pittsburgh two months ago. “He’s been a great congressman. If you run, you have my support totally – and you’ll win.”

During his announcement, Meuser touted his support for Trump’s domestic policy bill signed into law on July 4 and said he will continue working in Washington to advance Trump’s agenda. 

“Just last week, I helped lead the fight to pass President Trump’s tax cuts for families and small businesses, legislating and codifying border security, enacting U.S. energy dominance initiatives, strengthening our military, and bringing fiscal accountability to what was excessive spending,” Meuser said in a statement. “This was just the beginning. Continuing the progress we made is too important, which is why I have decided to remain in the U.S. House of Representatives, working with President Trump and our Republican majorities in both the House and Senate to pass his agenda and forgo a campaign for Governor of Pennsylvania.”

“I am confident we will have an outstanding Gubernatorial candidate, we will defeat Governor Shapiro, and make Pennsylvania a leader among states and the best place to live,” the congressman added. 

Meuser’s announcement opens the door for other candidates who have expressed interest in challenging Shapiro next year, including Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who received the most votes of any statewide candidate in history in 2024 and has teased a gubernatorial bid, per abc27 News. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported earlier this year that GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano is also considering a run in 2026; he was the party’s nominee in 2022 and lost to Shapiro by more than 792,000 votes, or nearly 15 percentage points. Mastriano’s Senate colleague, state Sen. Scott Martin, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and also mounted a gubernatorial campaign in 2022, didn’t rule out another run when speaking to reporters at this year’s Pennsylvania Leadership Conference. 

“I’m not ever going to get ahead of my family on something like that either, but people are talking to me about it,” Martin told a reporter, according to LNP. “We’ll take it as it goes and see where the winds blow.”

In a statement released Wednesday, Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Izzi Levy ripped Meuser over his support for Trump’s domestic policy bill and said his move should serve as a “warning sign” to other candidates thinking of challenging Shapiro in 2026. 

“Even longtime Congressman Dan Meuser – Donald Trump's hand-picked candidate for the Republican nomination for governor – knows he can’t go up against Governor Josh Shapiro and win,” Levy said. “Meuser knows that it would be a losing battle to put his record of voting to cut health care, jobs, and food assistance for Pennsylvanians up against Governor Shapiro’s record of cutting costs, enhancing public safety, funding our schools, and delivering for all Pennsylvanians.”

Pennsylvania Republican Party Chair Greg Rothman praised Meuser in a statement, noting that he will “continue to be a leader in our party for many years to come.” “We are confident we have an outstanding candidate for Governor ready to put Pennsylvania First,” Rothman added.