We surveyed the candidates for Pennsylvania's governor on top issues for the 2022 election. Candidates include:
Christina DiGiulio, Green Party
Matt Hackenburg, Libertarian Party
Doug Mastriano, Republican Party
Josh Shapiro, Democratic Party
Joe Soloski, Keystone Party
About the WESA Candidate Survey: WESA sent surveys to all candidates running in competitive races for federal and state offices in our listening area, including Allegheny, Armstrong, Cambria, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence, Washington, and Westmoreland counties. Our candidate survey was based upon input we solicited from voters.
We followed up with candidates multiple times via both phone and email. If a candidate did not respond, we have noted that below. (If you're a candidate and would like to complete the survey now, please email Patrick Doyle, pdoyle@wesa.fm).
We have fixed basic capitalization and punctuation issues, but have not otherwise edited candidates' answers.
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, some state lawmakers believe Pennsylvania should ban abortion after six weeks, with no exceptions. Would you support such a proposal — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify other changes, if any, you would like to make to the state’s abortion laws.
DiGiulio: No. Healthcare is a human right that must be provided to all. Abortion is womens healthcare. These decisions are between the pregnant person and their doctor only. My running mate, Michael Badges Canning, and I are here because the Republicans have been pushing a radical agenda for decades and the Democrats failed to codify Roe when they had the chance. It is unacceptable to target and impede on women’s healthcare and women’s rights for any reason. Women will not be the sacrificial lambs of toxic patriarchal politics.
Hackenburg: From a personal standpoint, I think abortion is wrong, but I don’t think there is any effective method to use the state to police it. That’s a recipe for disaster, a recipe for abuse. That being said, taxpayer dollars should not be put towards funding abortion clinics or organizations as this could be a gateway to socialized medicine.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: Throughout my career, I have always fought to protect reproductive rights — and as governor, I will continue to stand with Pennsylvania women and veto any effort to ban abortion in our Commonwealth. In contrast, my opponent has said that his number one priority is to ban abortion — without exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the mother. It’s clear now more than ever that the rights of women to have control over their own bodies are on the line in this election — and I will always protect this fundamental freedom.
Soloski: No. An abortion ban, like all government prohibitions, will never work. I’m a pro-life guy and my solutions will be much more effective: let’s get government out of the equation. Government should never promote or prohibit abortions. Instead, if government wants to help minimize abortions to the lowest possible number, then government and private organizations can streamline adoption processes and promote pregnancy support services.
Pennsylvania's minimum wage has been set at the federal rate of $7.25 an hour since 2009. Do you favor state action to change the minimum wage? Yes/no?
- Please explain our stance and, if you support a change, identify the minimum wage rate you believe is appropriate.
DiGiulio: Yes. The most important point to be made here is that we need a liveable wage. Currently, that is said to be around $15-$25/hour. Adjustments for inflation and several other issues beyond the minimum wage must also be taken into account when we talk about “liveable”. Because of that, I will support an Economic Bill of Rights that includes a $20 minimum wage, a guaranteed income above poverty, state-level Medicare-for-All, affordable housing and child care, tuition-free public college, stronger union organizing rights, and a “just transition” for workers and communities displaced in the transition to 100% clean energy.
Hackenburg: Many people do not realize the minimum wage hurts the very people it’s trying to help. By setting a minimum wage, you are pricing young or inexperienced workers out of a job indefinitely. It is compulsory unemployment. People are deprived of earning the amount their abilities and situations allow them to earn voluntarily and deprive the community of their services. I support abolishing the minimum wage, eliminating the barrier of employment for thousands of people in need of experience for better jobs and a salary.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: Right now, Pennsylvanians are being crushed under a mountain of rising prices, and for too many, the economy is not working for them or their families. We need to build an economy that invests in our workforce, rewards hard work, and creates opportunities for Pennsylvanians to get ahead. That’s why as governor, I’ll continue to stand up for our workers, and ensure that every Pennsylvania worker is paid a living wage of at least $15 an hour.
Soloski: Yes. Wage controls/price controls have never worked, historically. I believe that a government-set minimum wage only causes wages to stay artificially low. Government should do away with the “minimum wage” and allow the free market to pay the wages that it desires. Most businesses already pay more than the minimum wage.
Do you support no-excuse mail-in voting in Pennsylvania — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and identify any other changes you believe should be made to state voting laws.
DiGiulio: Yes. I support expanding absentee/mail-in voting by not requiring an excuse because it makes voting more accessible to particular demographics, it will increase voting numbers, and it will reduce the cost of elections. In regards to the argument or fear of voter fraud, there are established best practices for preventing fraud and improving reliability which must be implemented in all of Pennsylvania.
Hackenburg: Act 77 is ripe for abuse by malicious people or organizations looking to buy votes, can be manipulated by campaigns or the media, and breaches voter privacy. It’s worth mentioning Doug Mastriano was one of Act 77’s biggest supporters in 2019 and only backpedaled once Donald Trump decided he did not like it. Experimenting with alternative voting like ranked choice voting can improve representation. The system is rigged against anyone who is not a Democrat or Republican. This is intentional. Those in power will suppress anyone who dares challenge them. However we can dismantle that, I would be supportive of.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: Harrisburg Republicans overwhelmingly supported Act 77, which created no-excuse mail-in voting — and millions of Pennsylvanians used mail-in ballots to vote safely and securely in 2020 and 2021. As governor, I will continue my work to ensure voters have access to the ballot box, that every legal vote is counted in every election, and will veto any bill that eliminates or restricts no-excuse mail-in voting. In contrast, my opponent is a threat to our democracy — he’s said that he would throw out votes he disagrees with, decertify our voting machines, and force every Pennsylvania voter to re-register ahead of the 2024 Presidential election.
Soloski: Yes. We have utilized absentee voting successfully for years. There is no reason why we cannot have the same success with mail-in voting. Mail-in voting allows more people to participate in the voting process. I’m also a big advocate for ranked-choice voting. RCV would make every voter’s individual vote more powerful. Every elected official would always earn at least 50% of the cast ballots.
Do you support Pennsylvania’s involvement in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which sets pricing for carbon emissions — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe any changes you wish to see to state energy or climate policy.
DiGiulio: No. We need a New Green Deal. RGGI is a “pay to pollute” program. Taxing emissions is not preventing them, it is a weak attempt to deter emitters, or profit from them. Current and past political leadership drug their heels for way too long, leaving us with little room to move. Legislation must prevent emissions. PA must stop subsidizing fossil fuel projects. We need to invest in renewables, remediation, and conservation. We need to stop emitting greenhouse gases and toxic pollution. According to the IPCC, we need to be off fossil fuels yesterday. We are facing an existential crisis and the youth are going to be paying a heavy price.
Hackenburg: Pollution should be treated as a trespass violation, which allows people affected by polluters to issue court injunctions to shut them down, court orders to clean up their private property, or imprisonment if they do not get their act together. I do not support subsidies that prop up energy companies or allow the government to force its preferences onto the population, like what California is doing with electric vehicles. If there is a demand for a clean environment, then a truly free market will meet that demand and we will all be better off.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: I will be an all of the above energy governor who will take advantage of the unique position we have in Pennsylvania to create more jobs, while also utilizing our natural resources and protecting the jobs we already have. I refuse to accept the false choice between protecting jobs or protecting our planet — we can and must do both, and my priority will be ensuring that Pennsylvania has a comprehensive climate and energy policy that moves us all forward. As governor, I will bring everyone around the table to implement an energy strategy that does just that.
Soloski: No. I have always believed that carbon taxes are a bad idea. We are already the worldwide leader in reducing emissions. I would also like an expansion of nuclear energy here in Pennsylvania. Nuclear energy is the cleanest, most efficient, and safest of all energy sources.
Inflation is a concern for Pennsylvanians, and some legislators have called for either reducing or suspending the 58-cent-a-gallon gas tax. Would you support such a measure? Yes/no?
- If yes, how would you replace the revenue to pay for State Police and road spending — and are there other inflation-fighting policies you would pursue?
DiGiulio: Yes. Tax the industries that are taking our natural resources away from Pennsylvanians, polluting them, or destroying them. Make industries who use our roads also use their profit to pay for roads. Article 1 Section 27 of the Commonwealth Constitution states: “The people have a right to clean air, pure water, and to the preservation of the natural, scenic, historic and esthetic values of the environment. Pennsylvania’s public natural resources are the common property of all the people, including generations yet to come. As trustee of these resources, the Commonwealth shall conserve and maintain them for the benefit of all the people.” The Commonwealth under both Democratic and Republican regimes have not been conserving nor maintaining our natural resources. Tax the polluters and raise them yearly until they stop polluting; tax corporations in for-profit resource extraction; stop subsiding fossil fuel infrastructure; higher corporate taxes overall; reduce the state police budget.
Hackenburg: The gas tax should be abolished. We need to keep that money in our local communities. They know their needs more than politicians in Harrisburg. With taxes, that money disappears into the bureaucracy. If a problem is dire, there’s no stopping strong communities from solving it. The Federal Reserve has destroyed our currency, printing 80% of all dollars in existence for COVID bailouts. Ron Paul was right. We need to ‘End the Fed’. Pennsylvania can combat inflation by embracing sound money through nullification. Gold, silver, even cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin should back our money and can be easy-to-use legal tender itself.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: Unlike my opponent, I want to put money directly into Pennsylvanians pockets. His reckless plan would defund our state police and threaten critical funding for our roads and bridges. I have a plan to cut taxes for working families, lower costs, eliminate the state cell phone tax, and put money back in Pennsylvanians’ pockets by giving Pennsylvania drivers a $250 gas tax refund.
Soloski: Yes. I would cut overall government spending by at least 5% per year while I am in office. That will allow us to fund remaining government costs. Our legislature has more than doubled Pennsylvania’s operating budget, from $20 billion to $42 billion, in just 20 years. I will lead by example, by cutting the governor’s salary from its current level of $205,000 per year to just under $70,000 per year. That will make Pennsylvania’s governor the lowest paid governor in the nation. If we reduce spending, then it’s easy to cut taxation. The fuel tax, the personal income tax, the corporate net income tax, the inheritance tax, all need to be either cut or eliminated. We can do these things by slashing state spending.
In the face of rising homicide and other crime rates, would you support requiring universal background checks for gun purchases? Yes/no?
- Please explain your stance, and describe other approaches to fighting crime that you would support.
DiGiulio: Yes. Universal background checks are a small and reasonable step toward gun safety. Recruit trauma informed, mental health professionals to respond to non-violent calls in place of police.
Hackenburg: The Pennsylvania Constitution states: " The right of the citizens to bear arms in defense of themselves and the State shall not be questioned." All gun control measures are illegitimate and I will veto every single one that passes, as well as repeal and nullify the gun controls we currently have. The Second Amendment is how we fight crime. Restricting it prevents good samaritans from protecting themselves. The state should not have any involvement in determining who can or cannot have a firearm. If someone is so dangerous that they can’t have a firearm, they should not be out of prison.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: Throughout my career, I have worked with law enforcement and local communities to fight crime and deployed Strategic Response Teams to hot spots across the Commonwealth, where our agents worked with local law enforcement on the ground. However, there is still so much more that needs to be done — as governor, I'll work to close loopholes for background checks and ghost gun sales, sign a red flag law, hire 2,000 more police officers, and work with federal, state, and local officials to make our communities safer.
Soloski: There is already a background check system for the purchase of guns. Law abiding citizens adhere to the system in purchasing their firearms. Criminals don’t. There is no background check system that will keep a criminal from obtaining gun by other means. I would like to see Pennsylvania become a Constitutional-Carry state for firearms. As we often see in the news, good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns.
School funding in Pennsylvania is heavily supported by property taxes. Would you support efforts to change that system — yes/no?
- Please explain your stance and describe the changes you would support to how public education is funded.
DiGiulio: Yes. Funding schools through property leads to inequity. A child's zip code must not determine the quality of their education. There should be a fair funding system that supports the needs of each student and each community through an equitable process. Stop subsidizing fossil fuel infrastructure and reevaluate subsidies for other private profit projects. Redirect the money to the school system instead. Use tax revenue from legalized cannabis.
Hackenburg: Firstly, the property tax needs to be abolished. It is absurd how even after you finally pay off a mortgage, you’re still forced to rent from the state to keep a roof over your head. Pennsylvania needs to allow school choice so we can start funding our students, not systems. Whether it be private school, apprenticeships, vo-tech, or homeschooling, parents have the right to decide how to educate their children based on their needs and preferences. This would improve our quality of education without raising a single penny in taxes.
Mastriano: Did not respond.
Shapiro: As governor, my priority will be to ensure that every child receives a quality education, no matter what zip code they live in — and that requires fully funding our schools. I will also ensure our children receive the resources they need to learn, end our reliance on standardized tests, put at least one mental health counselor in every school, and provide students with vocational, technical, and computer training.
Soloski: Yes. The property tax system is outdated and unjust. I advocate completely eliminating the property tax system. People should never lose their homes or other property due to the non-payment of property taxes. In its place, I would support local/county/regional sales taxes to fund education. That will instill competition between counties and school districts to efficiently delivery the best education for their respective school district residents.
