A recent poll in Pennsylvania revealed that voters are underwhelmed by Governor Josh Shapiro's effort to complete a state budget.
Commonwealth Foundation conducted a statewide survey from June 14th to 19th, revealing Shapiro's high Pennsylvania voter disapproval rating. Most voters reported being dissatisfied with his leadership in office, specifically his state budget management.
"Despite Governor Shapiro’s promise to work across the aisle and 'get stuff done,' his administration has yet to complete a budget on time," Erik Telford, senior vice president of the Commonwealth Foundation, said.
Telford said voters were particularly bothered by Shapiro's handling of the budget because Pennsylvania’s annual budget is one of the state government's most “critical inflection points” each year. Telford also said discussions on other policy matters depend on the budget's completion.
The Commonwealth Foundation survey asked voters whether they supported or opposed Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget proposal. 54% of voters said they opposed it, and 34% said they supported it.
In the survey, the Commonwealth Foundation stated the "proposed new spending" in Shapiro’s budget proposal would “deplete” the Rainy Day Fund, causing a “tax hike” of more than $2,000 per family of four.
When Shapiro announced his 2024-25 budget proposal in February, however, he claimed that if the state made “every investment” and “every other proposal” in his budget, the state would have $11 billion in the bank by June 2025. Additionally, the state would be accumulating money “all while cutting taxes.”
Outlined the key parts of my budget in just 90 seconds.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) March 1, 2024
I laid out my vision — and if we made every investment I mentioned, along with every other proposal in my budget, we would still have $11B in the bank by June 2025 — all while cutting taxes.
Now is the time to invest. pic.twitter.com/9ZwkmpKVp2
In the poll, 74% of voters also said they believed Shapiro “should play a more active role in brokering a bipartisan deal to keep the state budget on track,” and 15% said they did not believe in it.
Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly support "bipartisanship in the budget process" because Shapiro failed to enact the 2024-2025 state budget by the June 30th deadline, according to a Commonwealth Foundation press release.
Pennsylvania voters demand bipartisanship in the budget process because when Shapiro was elected, the governor promised to work with Republicans in the state Capital, Commonwealth Foundation reported. In 2023, Shapiro attempted to arrange a bipartisan budget deal but received pushback from Democrats. As a result, Shapiro was the last governor in the country to sign a completed 2023-2024 state budget.
"Last year, the budget was more than five months late—and this year, he has taken a hands-off approach to governing, leading to yet another impasse,” Telford said.
According to poll results, the majority of Pennsylvania voters want Shapiro to have more authority over the state budget because they believe the state's economy needs improvement. For instance, the poll shows that 60% of voters gave Pennsylvania's economic conditions a negative rating, and 36% gave the state's economic conditions a positive rating.
The poll also shows Shapiro has failed to impress voters on other policy matters, with 31% of voters saying they do not believe the governor has delivered major accomplishments during his time in office, 23% saying they were unsure, and 46% saying yes.