Check where the candidates asking for your vote stand on our Nurse Priorities
As Pennsylvania nurses, we are determined to advocate for our patients in our hospitals and nursing homes in the upcoming election. We all want to safely provide high quality care that meets our patients’ needs. However, healthcare CEOs and the politicians they have paid for are making care decisions for patients while keeping our facilities understaffed. That is why we’re coming together in this election to demand safe staffing, the freedom for patients to get the care they need, and a voice in all decisions affecting us and our patients. That’s why we scored every candidate for Pennsylvania House, Senate, and Governor according to our Nurse Priorities. Click here to find the districts you’ll be voting in for the 2022 election, especially since your district number may have changed under new legislative maps, starting with this election. Then use the tools below to find the candidates that will be on your ballot for Governor, Senate, and House, and see their Nurse Priorities Score.Check the Scorecard for candidates for Governor
View the scores for the candidates for Governor below, along with details about their positions, statements, and records in their respective offices. Each section correlates to one of our Nurse Priorities. Click a section to expand further details about where they stand on that priority, along with links for citation.
Josh Shapiro, Candidate for Governor
Nurse Priorities Election Score: A
Josh Shapiro is the Democratic candidate for Governor. Currently, he is PA’s Attorney General. Expand the boxes below to see details on how Josh Shapiro’s campaign platform and record in office align with each of our Nurse Priorities.Pass safe staffng standards for nurses and patients—SUPPORTS
- Josh Shapiro has committed to support the Patient Safety Act, which would establish safe patient limits for Pennsylvania’s hospitals, and if it passes the legislature, he has stated he wants frontline caregivers there with him when he signs it.
- As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro has a proven record of fighting for safe staffing and going after health care facilities, executives, and administrators for how their choices to staff at unsafe levels create unsafe conditions for workers and patients. He investigated Pennsylvania nursing homes for criminal neglect of residents—including prosecuting nursing home managers for recklessly endangering residents, investigating a skilled nursing home for conspiracy to defraud the federal government and obstruct an audit by falsifying staffing records, and settling a case brought against Golden Living Centers for $6 million, most of which will go to PA’s nursing home inspection system. That case was based on allegations that Golden Living Centers’ allegations were misleading because they advertised a certain standard of care and then deliberately understaffed their facilities.
Guarantee access to all forms of healthcare—SUPPORTS
- Josh Shapiro has vowed to veto any abortion ban.
- Further, Shapiro recognizes that abortion is health care and commits to defending access to reproductive health care.
- As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro protected healthcare access for 1.9 million Western Pennsylvanians when he sued UPMC to force them to make a deal with Highmark to accept patients who carry their insurance. This prevented a $20 Billion healthcare supposed “non-profit” from leaving millions cut off from their doctors for having the wrong insurance in a monopolistic play to force people onto UPMC’s own insurance plans
- Shapiro states he’ll work to expand access to mental and behavioral health treatment under Medicaid, and to expand and lower barriers to access to home health care for seniors and people with disabilities.
Stop scapegoating nurses for a crisis CEOs created—SUPPORTS
- As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro has an extensive track record of going after health care facilities, executives, and administrators for how their choices create unsafe conditions for workers and patients. He investigated Pennsylvania nursing homes for criminal neglect of residents—including prosecuting nursing home managers for recklessly endangering residents, investigating a skilled nursing home for conspiracy to defraud the federal government and obstruct an audit by falsifying staffing records, and settling a case brought against Golden Living Centers for $6 million, most of which will go to PA’s nursing home inspection system. That case was based on allegations that Golden Living Centers’ allegations were misleading because they advertised a certain standard of care and then deliberately understaffed their facilities.
- Josh Shapiro has stated he will work to improve accountability measures for health care facilities as Governor.
- As Attorney General, Josh Shapiro sued UPMC for failing to live up to its obligation as a public charity.
Guarantee a voice for nurses everywhere decisions about our patients and profession are made—SUPPORTS
- Josh Shapiro has vowed to protect union rights and work to ensure the rights of workers seeking to organize a union.
- “As Governor, Josh will protect the right to collective bargaining, go after employers who spread anti-union propaganda and interfere with workers’ right to join a union, strengthen worker misclassification laws, and veto any legislation that seeks to make Pennsylvania a right-to-work state.” (Source)
Doug Mastriano, Candidate for Governor
Nurse Priorities Election Score: F
Doug Mastriano is the Republican candidate for Governor. Currently, he serves in Pennsylvania’s Senate. Expand the boxes below to see details on how Doug Mastriano’s campaign platform and record in office go against each of our Nurse Priorities.Pass safe staffng standards for nurses and patients—OPPOSES
- Doug Mastriano has not cosponsored the Patient Safety Act, which would establish safe patient limits for Pennsylvania’s hospitals, and if it passes the legislature, we cannot count on Doug Mastriano to sign the bill if he were elected.
- Doug Mastriano voted against Staffing Transparency provisions (Amendment 961), which would have set requirements for hospitals to report their staffing levels regularly. The amendment was nearly identical to a key provision of the Patient Safety Act, and we worked with key legislators to propose adding this amendment to a bill before the full legislature to get everyone on record on safe staffing.
Guarantee access to all forms of healthcare—OPPOSES
- Doug Mastriano supports a full abortion ban, and he does not believe abortion bans should have exceptions for rape, incest, or the life of the parent. This would have far-reaching effects on nurses’ ability to provide whole care to patients, risk the lives of our patients for an extremist policy, and take away people’s freedom to make the decisions that are right for them and their families.
- The very first bill Doug Mastriano introduced as a Senator was a six-week abortion ban (Senate Bill 378 in the current legislative session). So-called “heartbeat ban” bills have no grounding in medical science, will have far-reaching effects on nurses’ ability to provide whole care to patients, and seek to take away people’s freedom to make the decisions that are right for them and their families. This bill would prohibit most abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, and it could take away a person’s right to make their own medical decisions before they even know they have a decision to make.
- Mastriano voted in support of Senate Bill 106, a proposed Constitutional Amendment that deceptively seeks to remove Pennsylvanians’ right to an abortion from the commonwealth’s constitution, in addition to provisions restricting voting rights in the same bill.
- His campaign proposal to “end funding to Planned Parenthood” would not only decimate access to abortion care in Pennsylvania, it would also many off from their care provider for sexual and reproductive health care services—from birth control to STD testing to HIV prevention and more—especially for working-class Pennsylvanians who struggle to make ends meet.
- Doug Mastriano voted in favor of Senate Bill 618. This bill, vetoed by Gov. Wolf, sought to restrict the Secretary of Health from having the powers to require physical distancing, masks, specific hygiene practices, quarantine, or restricted travel from people who’ve been exposed to a contagious disease. Further, it sought to ban any government institution, college, or local government from having the option to require vaccination or even track vaccination status.
Stop scapegoating nurses for a crisis CEOs created—OPPOSES
- Doug Mastriano voted for House Bill 1737 in 2020, a dangerous bill that would have given hospitals and nursing homes immunity from lawsuits frontline workers working through unsafe conditions created by the choices of health care executives prioritizing profit over patients. Mastriano criticized Gov. Wolf’s veto of this legislation claiming to be standing up for “health care providers”, but never once responded to our requests to support—or even discuss—legislation that would actually help and protect nurses working on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Guarantee a voice for nurses everywhere decisions about our patients and profession are made—OPPOSES
- Doug Mastriano is a long-time supporter of so-called “Right-to-Work” laws, which seek to weaken unions and the ability for workers to band together to have a say in their work—whether those be nurses or anyone else.
Check the Scorecard for candidates for State Senate
The table is listed in numerical order by district number. You can scroll or search to find your district and the candidates there. For each candidate you can see more details about them, their Scorecard, their answers to our questionnaire, and the record of those who’ve been in office. Click any candidate’s row to expand details about them, and click the “View their Scorecard” field to do so!
Check the Scorecard for candidates for State House of Representatives
The table is listed in numerical order by district number. You can scroll or search to find your district and the candidates there. For each candidate you can see more details about them, their Scorecard, their answers to our questionnaire, and the record of those who’ve been in office. Click any candidate’s row to expand details about them, and click the “View their Scorecard” field to do so!
Join our campaign to share the Nurse Priorities Scorecard with every nurse in Pennsylvania!
In this election, we’ll be working to share this Scorecard with every nurse in Pennsylvania. We’ll need your help in order to make that happen! Click below to get involved in our campaign.
Paid for by Nurses of Pennsylvania Action