Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro made a pit stop at the Old Main Lawn during his 10-day bus tour to encourage Centre County residents to get out and vote for a “democratic trifecta.”

The event, “Rally in the Valley,” hosted by the Penn State College Democrats, featured several other Democratic candidates and officials, including Centre County Democratic Chair Margie Swoboda, Centre County Commissioners Mark Higgins and Amber Concepcion, state Reps. Scott Conklin and Paul Takac, and Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District Ray Bilger.

Before the event, Bilger’s campaign staff handed out informational flyers and buttons to folks in line. Once everyone checked in, staff spread Shapiro campaign merchandise across tables for folks to grab and hold during the event.

Students for Shapiro President Sishir Kata opened the rally at 6:25 p.m., 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. Kata urged students in the crowd to vote in the upcoming midterm elections “for a better future to serve all of us.”

Swoboda took the stage at 6:29 p.m. and spoke about a vision within communities. Higgins and Concepcion spoke after that.

Higgins said a good leader has a vision for a community and follows through with actions that improve it. He listed some of Shapiro’s actions throughout the last four years, providing $450 million for broadband, new biking trails in State College, and a $579,000 grant for Bellefonte to preserve train and pedestrian bridges.

Concepcion highlighted what she called Shapiro’s “pro student agenda.” She said Shapiro oversaw a 35% increase in funding for Pennsylvania public education.

Concepcion then introduced State College Mayor Ezra Nanes, who said “integrity, honor, and accountability” are the attributes of a great leader and described Shapiro as such.

Shapiro’s work bringing both parties together during budget decisions, investing in downtown State College, and actively fighting for Pennsylvania citizens’ rights were reasons Nanes told the people of State College to re-elect Shapiro in the upcoming election.

Conklin took the stage shortly after, speaking out against big corporations and congressional decisions that ultimately hurt residents’ lives and futures.

Takac spoke next, highlighting the “division that benefits the dividers.”

He said Democrats in Congress have fought for Pennsylvania over the last four years by cutting taxes for small businesses and investing in health care across the state.

Bilger took the stage at 7:07 and started by shocking the audience, wishing them a good evening in Turkish.

Shortly after, he shared that his time abroad in Turkey led to a realization that he should encourage people to immerse themselves in different cultures to ultimately find different perspectives to share with others, promoting diversity in Congress.

Shapiro walked out of Old Main and took the stage at 7:12 p.m.

He criticized congressional decisions over the last two years. He also discussed rising gas prices and the effects of the war, explaining how those decisions hurt everyday citizens.

During his speech, Shapiro tested fellow Penn State students based on their major: one was an economics major and the other a pre-law major.

While quizzing the students, Shapiro cited laws he signed to rebuild the future of fellow Pennsylvanians, promising to keep rebuilding and improving their lives and to uplift them to “never believe that the future has less brightness than the past.”

He said that, if reelected, the first bill on his desk will raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour in Pennsylvania.

To end his speech, Shapiro told Centre County residents that it is their responsibility and duty to vote for their elected officials because they are “the swingiest county in the swingiest state.”

He then walked into the crowd to meet with folks individually.