[VT | November 1, 2026 | Philadelphia PA]
Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis spent the final Sunday before Election Day entirely in Philadelphia. At midday, State Sen. Vincent Hughes used the brunch he hosts to argue that Democrats should aim beyond the governor’s race and flip the state Senate. In the afternoon, Mayor Cherelle L. Parker, hosting a rally in Northwest Philadelphia, spoke about federal election monitors: “We are not going to be bullied.”
The campaign’s Philadelphia itinerary, reviewed by VisibleTogether, listed six stops: the South Philly Grassroots Rally; Eggs, Grits, and Politics with Sen. Vincent Hughes; the Fishtown GOTV Rally; the Northwest Philly Grassroots Rally hosted by Parker; the Laborers’ District Council Rally; and the Northeast Philly Grassroots Rally. VisibleTogether reported from the Hughes brunch and the Northwest Philadelphia rally, and questioned Shapiro after the afternoon event.
The stops were part of a 10-day, 29-county bus tour ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Shapiro and Davis are seeking reelection against Republican nominee and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity.
Hughes and Shapiro: The Fight for the State Senate
The brunch took place at The Enterprise Center in West Philadelphia. Hughes called officials to the stage in this order: Montgomery County Commissioners Chair Jamila Winder, Philadelphia Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr., Montgomery County Treasurer Jason Salus, Philadelphia City Commissioner Lisa Deeley, State Sen. Sharif Street, Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, State Rep. Greg Scott, Philadelphia City Commissioners Chairman Omar Sabir, former Councilmember Blondell Reynolds Brown and Councilmember Nina Ahmad, among others. After asking the crowd who he had missed, he added State Rep. Rick Krajewski.
Hughes said the goal was to “flip the state senate, give ourselves a trifecta.”
Davis tied the outcome directly to Philadelphia turnout, which he said “will then dictate whether we finally get a Democratic Senate and make Vince Hughes the Senate appropriation majority chair.” He listed what Democrats would do with a majority: raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, fund SEPTA and mass transit, and codify reproductive health care in the state constitution.
Shapiro called Hughes his “wingman,” saying Hughes “is going to continue to hold the line.” He told the crowd that many came because they were worried about the country, adding: “The most important thing I ask of you is to not let anyone sap you of that American spirit of hopefulness and optimism.”
Parker and Shapiro: “We Are Not Going to Be Bullied”
The afternoon rally, hosted by Parker, took place at Finley Rec Center in Northwest Philadelphia. “I know you’ve heard about people talking about some federal election monitors are coming here,” Parker said. “I want you to know that we are not going to be bullied.”
She then invited City Commissioner Lisa Deeley to the stage. “We are going to let our neighbors vote freely, fairly, without fear of intimidation,” Deeley said. Her advice to voters who see someone at a polling place who does not appear to belong there: “Do not engage.”
Parker turned to affordability, describing the neighborhood as a historic choice for first-generation Black homeowners. “This neighborhood remains a neighborhood of choice today, but every day it becomes less affordable for regular people,” she said. She asked attendees to call 15 people each and explain that the stakes included a higher minimum wage and workforce development.
Davis said a Democratic majority would also pass the governor’s Housing Action Plan to make homeownership more affordable.
Shapiro said he and Parker served together as state representatives, and that she represented the neighborhood where his father grew up. He closed: “So, yes, I am here today to ask you for four more years to serve you as your governor. But I’m mostly here today to ask you to vote for a more hopeful and optimistic future for our Commonwealth and our country.”
As the rally ended, VisibleTogether saw U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans leaving through the back of the venue.
The Governor on Language Access and Local Media
After the rally, ChineseinUS / VisibleTogether asked Shapiro: “You’ve made important information about government services and elections available. How can government work with civic-focused media to help it reach the people who need it and make it easier to understand and use?”
“It’s one of the reasons why we’ve worked really, really hard to make sure that government services are available in Pennsylvania in all different languages, to make sure that voting services, voting information is available in all different kinds of languages,” Shapiro said. “I want people to come here to this Commonwealth and feel welcome. And one of the ways that we can make them feel welcome is by having a government that serves them in the language that they’re comfortable with.”
Asked whether local media should receive more support in the future, he said: “I think we need more local media, and unfortunately we’re seeing too much of our local media disappear in Pennsylvania and across the country. I want to make sure that we have more accountability for government, more coverage of what happens in our communities, and that’s going to require us to have more local media together with our national media partners and others.”
