Pennsylvania Gov.-Elect Josh Shapiro Nominates Former Philadelphia Commissioner for Secretary of State

Al Schmidt, a Republican, oversaw the 2020 election in Pennsylvania's most populous county

Al Schmidt, nominee for Pennsylvania Secretary of State. (Courtesy of Josh Shapiro Transition Team)

Pennsylvania Governor-elect Josh Shapiro has nominated former Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt, a Republican, for Pennsylvania Secretary of State—the position that oversees elections.

Schmidt helped administer elections in Philadelphia for 10 years where, as a commissioner, he was vice chairman of the board of elections, including during the controversial 2020 presidential election.

In addition to the nomination, Schmidt will receive another honor this week. He is among 12 people receiving a Presidential Citizens Medal on Friday from President Joe Biden.

Each medal is related to either the Jan. 6, 2021, events at the U.S. Capitol, or in Schmidt’s case, for refusing to be swayed by pressure from then-President Donald Trump regarding the election results.

On Nov. 11, 2020, Trump posted on Twitter: “A guy named Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Commissioner and so-called Republican (RINO), is being used big time by the Fake News Media to explain how honest things were with respect to the Election in Philadelphia. He refuses to look at a mountain of corruption & dishonesty. We win!”

Schmidt testified to the House Jan. 6 Committee that he was threatened by the public because of that tweet.

“It feels almost silly to talk about a tweet, but we can really see the impact that they have because prior to that, the threats were pretty general in nature,” Schmidt testified. “After the president tweeted at me by name, calling me out the way that he did, the threats became much more specific, much more graphic, and included not just me by name, but included members of my family by name, their ages, our address, pictures of our home, just every bit of detail that you could imagine. That was what changed with that tweet.”

This is Shapiro’s first cabinet nomination. It is unusual for a Democrat governor to pick a Republican for a high level cabinet position. More often these position are of the same party.

“Al Schmidt has a proven track record of defending our democracy, protecting voting rights, and standing up to extremism—even in the face of grave threats—and I am proud to nominate him to be Pennsylvania’s next Secretary of the Commonwealth,” Shapiro said in a statement. “Al will bring an extraordinary level of integrity, determination, and expertise to our Administration—and I know he is ready to continue the hard work of preserving and strengthening our democracy at the Department of State. I look forward to Al’s partnership, service, and leadership in this critically important work.”

Election Background

Schmidt is a Pittsburgh native. He graduated from Allegheny College and earned a Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

While he was a Philadelphia city commissioner, Schmidt was tasked with modernizing the city’s election operations, including improving efficiency, and ensuring Philadelphia elections were run securely. He produced numerous election-related reports, including investigations that exposed vulnerabilities and irregularities in the election process that needed to be fixed.

“During the leadup to and the aftermath of the 2020 election, Schmidt was an integral part of the efforts to protect our democracy and stop Pennsylvanians’ votes from being overturned,” Shapiro’s statement said. “Schmidt staunchly defended the validity and integrity of the 2020 election while taking all cases and complaints seriously in order to ensure all eligible votes were counted and protected.”

A year ago, Schmidt became president and CEO of the Committee of Seventy, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit “established in 1904 to protect and improve the voting process, bring people of competence and integrity into government, combat corruption, and inform and engage citizens in the critical affairs of the day,” according to its website.

Committee of Seventy supports mail-in voting and provides graphics for voters to share that promote the assurance that Pennsylvania’s elections are secure. The materials are provided in Spanish, Chinese, and English.

“Extensive research indicates that election and voter fraud is very rare,” the group’s website says. “There is no evidence of an increase in voter fraud in states that primarily vote by mail. Yet repeated, false allegations of widespread fraud chip away at Americans trust in elections and can potentially discourage voters from casting ballots.”

Schmidt said in a statement that he is humbled to have the opportunity to serve in the position.

He will have to undergo a confirmation process through the state Senate.

“Our elections are the foundation of our democracy, and I look forward to working with anyone—regardless of party—to ensure they remain free and fair here in Pennsylvania, and that we do more to ensure every eligible voter can make their voice heard,” Schmidt said in the statement. “As Governor-Elect Shapiro has made clear, there is a great deal of work ahead and I look forward to building partnerships with our colleagues across the administration and on both sides of the aisle to get that work done.”