HARRISBURG, Pa. — Al Schmidt, a Republican former Philadelphia elections official who challenged election denialism in 2020 and testified before the Jan. 6 congressional committee, is officially Pennsylvania’s secretary of state.
Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro nominated Schmidt to oversee Pennsylvania’s elections and licensing operations. At the time, Shapiro said he nominated the longtime city commissioner for his “pro-democracy” outlook and willingness to stand up to former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election.
Schmidt automatically became the state’s next secretary of state on Thursday, after the full Senate failed to vote on him by the 25th legislative day since his nomination. Two other secretaries — Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, a former Montgomery County commissioner, and Revenue Secretary Pat Browne, a former state senator from the Lehigh Valley area — officially took office on Thursday under the same circumstances.
“Throughout my career, I’ve worked almost exclusively in nonpartisan and bipartisan environments to make government more efficient and effective in the delivery of public services, and I will continue that focus at the Department of State,” Schmidt said in a statement Thursday.
Elections officials have faced criticism and threats in recent years, with the rise of election denialism. And since the 2020 election, elections officials have taken on a more prominent role in ensuring that their state’s elections are conducted freely and fairly.
The secretary of state serves as Pennsylvania’s chief elections official. However, the job is mostly administrative. The Department of State oversees elections, collects campaign finance filings, and approves election equipment, among other election-related jobs. It also has wider oversight of licensing for barbers, nurses, funeral homes, and more.
Schmidt has a unique outlook on the job, as someone who ran elections in Philadelphia for 10 years. He was first elected commissioner in 2011.
His national profile rose in 2020, as one of the few Republicans publicly challenging Trump’s election lies that the presidential election was stolen from him. He continued to defend Philadelphia’s election process through a number of conspiracy theories, and was eventually singled out by Trump in a tweet. Schmidt told the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol that threats to his life and his family became more graphic after Trump’s tweet.
A Senate committee led by Republican Sen. Cris Dush, who led an effort to review Pennsylvania’s elections, recommended Schmidt’s approval after lawmakers questioned his beliefs and leadership during two hearings.
Schmidt agreed to work with the General Assembly on voting security issues. For that, Dush said he’d give Schmidt his support.
“I will be voting to recommend you today,” Dush said on Monday at Schmidt’s final confirmation hearing.
Only one committee member, former Republican gubernatorial nominee Sen. Doug Mastriano, voted against him.
“Philadelphia is not a golden gem of voting integrity,” said Mastriano, who helped Trump push his election conspiracies in 2020. “The lack of action by Schmidt in the recent elections here just gives me pause. It’s easy to say things, but when he had a chance to make a difference and look into voting concerns, we were stonewalled.”
