NEWTON - Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s book tour brought him to Massachusetts Wednesday night where he called for the termination of the Trump administration’s deportation mission, shared the trauma of the arson attack on the governor’s mansion, and played coy about his interest in running for president.
Governor Maura Healey introduced Shapiro, a Democrat seeking re-election to a second term , as “my dear friend and colleague, a needed voice of reason, the resolve of common sense so needed in this time.”
Retired Washington Post editor Marty Baron, also a former Globe editor, moderated the 90-minute event before a crowd of more than 400 at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center.
New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who also leads the organization Stand Up To Jewish Hate, had a front row seat.
Shapiro, 52, said he wrote his memoir, “Where We Keep the Light: Stories of a Life of Service,” because it is central to who he is.
“I’m not here to tell you what to believe, but I think it’s important that people know what you believe and what grounds you,” said Shapiro, who is Jewish. “And that’s what I wrote about in this book.”
Shapiro was blunt about his views on the nation’s “broken” immigration system and roles both Democrats and Republicans have played in it.
“We need a secure border,” Shapiro said.
The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has sparked furious backlash, as evidenced in Minneapolis, where two protesters were shot and killed by immigration agents this month.
Lawmakers need to “create a path to legal status” for immigrants who have been living in the US lawfully, he said.
As for people who want to emigrate to America, “we need to make sure there are clear rules of the road for them to enter and to do so legally.”
President Trump’s current deportation mission has got to end, Shapiro said. It is compromised, ignores people’s constitutional rights, and “is outside the balance of the law,” he said.
“I believe this mission needs to be terminated immediately,” Shapiro said to applause.
As governor of a key battleground state, Shapiro, has been eyed as a presidential contender in 2028.
Baron wanted to know if Shapiro believed a Jewish politician could “actually win” the Democratic party’s presidential nomination.
Shapiro, who was considered as a potential vice presidential running mate with Kamala Harris in 2024, said he believes it is possible.
“I think this country is prepared to elect someone who can get stuff done for them regardless of what they look like, where they come from, who they love, or who they praise, period,” said Shapiro, a former Pennsylvania Attorney General. . “I think this country is made of good people who just want their elected leaders to stop pontificating and start getting stuff done.”
Shapiro, who like other Democrats has called for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, reiterated his long-standing support for Israel.
“I’ve been highly critical of this government in Israel, but I’m also someone who believes in Israel’s right to exist and supports Israel,” he said.
As far as his personal interest in running for president, Shapiro said he is focused on his gubernatorial reelection and “would caution anyone” from “thinking about 2028.”
“Our country is on fire,” he said. “We are seeing a level of chaos and cruelty and corruption that is unprecedented.”
The upcoming midterm elections, Shapiro said, is the chance to “send a message” and “curtail this cruelty of the Trump administration.”
“I think we need a national referendum on what we are seeing in Washington D.C. right now,” he said.
The arson attack in April on the Pennsylvania governor’s residence while Shapiro and his family were asleep after celebrating the first night of Passover, has left emotional scars, Shapiro said.
“I have tried not to dwell on the trauma of that moment,” the father of four said.
Shapiro said he is “a prayerful person” but he had never felt “the power of other people’s prayers” until the attack happened.
Sarah Berman, 81, of Jamaica Plain, a self-described “lifelong Democrat,” attended the event with her husband, Harvey.
Shapiro’s “humane and ethical tone,” she said, “is something we need in this day and age.”
“I’m very concerned about the country and the hate being spewed, and the violence being spewed,” she said.
Harvey Berman, also 81, said he liked what he heard.
“It’s very impressive what a decent person he is, how insightful he is, and how he thinks of others,” Harvey Berman said. “It’s just good to have someone articulate, in a calm way, what his principles are.”
Should Shapiro decide to run for president in 2028, he’s “absolutely” got their support, the Bermans said.
Tonya Alanez can be reached at tonya.alanez@globe.com. Follow her @talanez.