If Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has his way, the Democratic path to winning back the US House will run through his state.

Shapiro has committed to helping Democrats flip four Republican-held seats. He’s endorsed in three of the districts, including one where his chosen candidate is locked in a competitive primary. And in a bid to rebuild Pennsylvania’s Democratic Party, Shapiro recruited an ally as state chairman and donated $925,000 from his campaign account this cycle, including $400,000 in April, according to his campaign.

Winning those seats while running up the score in his own reelection would bolster Shapiro’s political resume if he decides to run for president in 2028. But there is also some political risk for Shapiro, who is betting he can help Democrats oust longtime Republican incumbents and boost his pick in the 7th District.

“Josh is not someone who puts his name behind something without a lot of oomph … he’s not someone who is going to want to be embarrassed,” said one Pennsylvania Democratic strategist who asked to be anonymous to speak candidly.

The governor surprised some Democrats and frustrated others when he recruited and endorsed Bob Brooks, the president of the Pennsylvania Professional Fire Fighters Association, to take on Rep. Ryan Mackenzie.

Brooks supporters argue he’s better positioned to win over working-class voters in the district than the other three candidates in the race: former federal prosecutor Ryan Crosswell, former nonprofit executive and energy engineer Carol Obando-Derstine, and former Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure.

“I think the world of Josh Shapiro, and I think he’s a wonderful governor, and I just could not understand why he would want to involve himself in such a competitive primary,” said former Rep. Susan Wild, who recruited and is backing Obando-Derstine. “Invariably, you’re going to be pissing off several different candidates’ bases.”

The real challenge will come in November, when Democrats hope to defeat Republican Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Rob Bresnahan, Scott Perry, and Mackenzie.

Bresnahan and Mackenzie were elected in 2024 after defeating Democratic incumbents in close races. Fitzpatrick and Perry are longtime Democratic targets who have withstood past efforts to unseat them.

Democrats hope that the favorable midterm environment will help get their candidates over the edge in all four races. They also note that President Donald Trump won’t be on the ballot to help boost turnout. Instead, Shapiro — who won his 2022 race by 15 points — will be at the top of the ticket.

“Governor Shapiro is fighting to keep getting stuff done for our Commonwealth and to put a stop to Trump’s chaos, cruelty, and corruption that is harming Pennsylvania families,” Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said in a statement. “That means winning this November – and the Governor is going to keep showing up, delivering his message, and working to elect leaders up and down the ballot who will actually fight for Pennsylvanians and help put an end to Washington’s corruption and disastrous policies.”

Democrats’ best pick-up opportunity in the state may be the 7th District. Mackenzie beat Wild in 2024 by just 1 percentage point. Wild, who flipped the district in 2018, chose not to run again.

Brooks, who has been endorsed by a broad range of state and national politicians, has made Shapiro’s support the centerpiece of his pitch to voters. His campaign website’s “red box” — where campaigns signal strategies to super PACs and outside groups — stresses that it is “most important that likely Democratic primary voters learn that Brooks is endorsed by Governor Josh Shapiro.” The governor held a fundraiser for Brooks last December and appeared prominently in the Brooks campaign’s first TV ad earlier this month.

Crosswell, the fundraising leader in the race, noted at a recent debate that he’s brought in more money than his opponents “without riding anyone’s coattails.”

Patty Carlis, a Democratic volunteer from Bethlehem who is leaning toward Crosswell, said she was put off by Brooks’ emphasis on his endorsements.

“I want to hear somebody tell me what they’re going to do as a congressperson, who they are as individuals, and what they see as the problems,” Carlis said.

She said she’s eager to support Shapiro’s re-election bid, but wished the governor “had more faith in the Democratic voters, that we will pick the person who is the best person to represent us” in the US House primary.

Shapiro said in a statement that Brooks has “always had my back” and he’s “proud to endorse him in this race and stand with him in the fight to make life more affordable.” The governor has said he got to know Brooks when the union leader lobbied state lawmakers to pass benefits for firefighters.

Some Brooks critics have pointed to his history of posting right-wing memes on social media. After a gunman killed 23 people in El Paso in 2019, Brooks posted a meme with an image of Clint Eastwood that said: “The problem is not guns. It’s hearts without God, homes without discipline, schools without prayer and courtrooms without justice.” The post, which was obtained by CNN and written about by local political blogs last year, included a logo associated with the Three Percenters, an anti-government extremist militia group.

In a statement to CNN, Brooks apologized for some of his past posts and asked voters in the district to judge him on his record of service. He said he’s been a Democrat throughout his adulthood.

“Politics is nasty – a bunch of DC insiders who don’t want more working people in office are selectively digging up years-old Facebook posts,” he said in the statement. “I’ve shared a few stupid things over the years, and for that I am sorry. I believe who I’ve fought for and my values have always been clear.”

Some Latino leaders also say Brooks hasn’t done enough to introduce himself to their community. The district is 23% Latino; Allentown, the largest city in Lehigh County, is about 56% Latino. Brooks’ allies, including Allentown’s first Latino mayor, Matt Tuerk, say that he’s been attending Latino events in the community.

Victor Martinez, a radio station owner who lives in the district, wrote an opinion piece earlier this year arguing Shapiro had “sent the wrong message” and suggested the governor was motivated by a desire to win favor with the firefighters’ union. Shapiro’s office soon reached out, Martinez said, and the governor explained on air that his endorsement was “personal,” not political.

“The reason why I stepped up to support Bob is because I believe in him,” Shapiro said on Martinez’s show, “El Relajo de la Mañana.” “I know we may be on different sides of this, but I think we can both agree that whoever emerges from the primary, we’re going to be 100% in for them, and they have to beat Ryan Mackenzie.”

As far as the primary is concerned, the two have agreed to disagree.

“I think there’s a little bit of political gambling that the governor did, especially in a year that he’s running for reelection,” Martinez said. “But I appreciate him not being afraid and just saying, ‘Hey, if he loses, he loses. I think he’s going to win, and I’m all in.’”

Brooks supporters argue his profile as a working-class everyman who has been a firefighter, a bartender, and now runs a snow removal and lawn care business makes him the best positioned to reach the voters who narrowly handed the seat to Republicans last cycle.

“Bob has a really important skill in politics, which is turning a prospective weakness into a strength,” said state Rep. Mike Schlossberg, who has endorsed Brooks. “He spoke about the fact that he knows what it’s like, personally, to be behind in your mortgage and to have financial difficulties, and he can talk to those people with more credibility than I think anybody else in the field can.”

The Cook Political Report has rated the 7th District a toss-up, along with the 8th District, where Bresnahan will likely face Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, and the 10th District, where Perry is likely to face a rematch against former local news anchor Janelle Stelson.

The 1st District, where Democratic Bucks County Commissioner Bob Harvie is challenging Fitzpatrick, is rated likely Republican.

“I look at Fitzpatrick as probably the toughest to beat, but eventually you run out of luck,” said Mike Mikus, a Pennsylvania-based Democratic strategist. “You just can’t hold on anymore when you’re swimming against the tide.”

Republicans are optimistic they’ll hold at least some of the four seats.

“I would say good luck,” Chris Pack, a Republican strategist who runs a super PAC backing Fitzpatrick, said of Democrats’ odds in the four races.

Fitzpatrick, a five-term incumbent and former FBI agent, kept his seat during the 2018 Democratic wave and in 2024, when former Vice President Kamala Harris carried his district even as Trump won statewide.

Democrats have pointed to their wins in 2025 in Bucks County, which encompasses most of the district. Harvie has argued he’s a stronger candidate than past challengers because he’s from the district and has been elected countywide in 2019 and 2023.

“I had somebody ask recently, ‘How am I going to get the people who vote for Fitzpatrick to vote for me?’” Harvie said. “And my answer was, ‘I already have.’”

Shapiro has endorsed Cognetti and Stelson and is expected to endorse Harvie soon, according to two sources familiar with the governor’s plans.

Rep. Chris DeLuzio, a Pennsylvania Democrat, praised the governor for leaning in on the races.

“Josh Shapiro has been a great partner for me and others who are trying to take back the House,” DeLuzio said. “I know, as does he, that the majority could run through Pennsylvania.”