HARRISBURG (AP) – A former Philadelphia election official will be nominated for the top election post in Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro’s administration. 51-year-old Al Schmidt will be nominated to be Shapiro’s Secretary of State, setting up Schmidt to oversee what is expected to be a hard-fought 2024 election in the critical presidential battleground state.The $165,000-salary job involves overseeing how the state’s 67 counties run their elections, giving them guidance and assistance on how to manage it. The department also administers a long list of professional licensing commissions that report to it. Shapiro made the post his first Cabinet selection to be publicly announced ahead of his Jan. 17 inauguration. Schmidt is a Republican, fitting in with Shapiro’s theme of forming a bipartisan administration.
AL SCHMIDT