Pennsylvania Gov. Shapiro Addresses 2026 Midterms and State Measles Outbreak

A sitting governor's public statements on a federal election cycle and an active public health crisis place Pennsylvania at the center of two overlapping national policy debates heading into...

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, addressed both the 2026 midterm elections and an active measles outbreak in his state during a televised interview on CBS News's 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' on November 1, 2026, according to the full transcript published by CBS News.

The interview covered Shapiro's assessment of the competitive landscape in Pennsylvania ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Pennsylvania is a frequently contested state in federal elections, having supported Democratic presidential candidates in 2020 and 2024 while electing a Republican senator, Dave McCormick, in 2024, according to certified election results from the Pennsylvania Department of State.

Shapiro also discussed an ongoing measles outbreak within Pennsylvania. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks measles outbreaks at the national level, and any state-confirmed outbreak requires reporting under federal public health protocols established under 42 U.S.C. Section 264. The specific case count and affected counties were not fully detailed in the CBS News source material available for this report.

Pennsylvania holds particular significance in the 2026 midterm cycle. The state has competitive U.S. House districts that election forecasters, including the Cook Political Report, have rated as toss-up or lean contests as of late October 2026. Control of the U.S. House remains contested, with Democrats currently holding a narrow majority, according to official House records.

On the public health dimension, measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000 by the CDC, meaning domestic transmission chains of more than 12 months were interrupted. Subsequent outbreaks have occurred in clusters, most notably a 1,282-case outbreak across 31 states in 2019, the largest since elimination, according to CDC surveillance data. Pennsylvania has previously reported smaller clusters tied to under-vaccinated communities.

Shapiro, who took office as governor in January 2023 following his election in November 2022, has been publicly discussed as a potential national Democratic figure. His name appeared in reporting around the 2024 presidential cycle before Vice President Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. Shapiro has not formally announced any federal candidacy as of November 1, 2026.

The governor's appearance on a national Sunday program one day before the 2026 midterm elections is consistent with a pattern in which governors of competitive states receive elevated media attention in the final days of federal election cycles. Similar appearances by governors of other contested states, including Republican governors of competitive states, have occurred in the same broadcast window, according to publicly available network schedules.

For context on the broader midterm environment Shapiro discussed, a recent NBC News poll found Democrats holding a measurable advantage in the generic congressional ballot heading into Election Day, according to NBC Poll: Democrats Hold Midterm Lead as Trump Disapproval Reaches Record High.

Several specific details from the interview remain unconfirmed from the available source material. The precise positions Shapiro stated on federal legislative questions, including any health care or election-related bills pending before Congress, are not fully documented in the CBS transcript excerpt available at the time of publication. The full transcript, which CBS News indicates was posted in its entirety, would contain those specifics. Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Health's most current measles case count and the geographic distribution of the outbreak are not included in the available source material. The Pennsylvania Department of Health's publicly accessible disease surveillance reports would provide those figures.