With natural gas jobs down over 50% under the current administration, the Republican nominee challenges Shapiro’s “Lightning Plan” with a day-one mandate to fast-track energy permits.
“Drill, baby, drill,” are the words Donald Trump chanted to a cheering crowd in Pennsylvania just two years ago. For many people in the Keystone State, that was music to their ears as the state is second largest in America for fracking.
Fast-forward two years, and the issue has become a focal point of the 2026 gubernatorial race, and it absolutely should be, because what is happening in Pennsylvania right now is nothing short of a policy abomination.
“Drill, baby, drill” isn’t just a slogan. For Pennsylvania, it’s a lifeline, and Harrisburg keeps cutting it.
I’m a Pennsylvania girl. I know this is what’s going on in my community, I’ve seen decisions in Harrisburg impact people throughout the commonwealth in real time, and right now, working families are hurting.
For one, electricity bills have surged across Pennsylvanian homes in recent years, with the average household getting double-digit rate hikes and higher summer costs impacting family budgets. Utility shut-offs climbed toward four million households nationwide in 2025. Pennsylvanians alone are being squeezed dry every time they flip a light switch.
