Ex-Philadelphia official picked for key elections post

By MARC LEVY
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — A former Philadelphia election official who has told of enduring death threats whipped up by Donald Trump for defending the city’s 2020 vote-counting against the former president’s lies will be nominated for the top election administration post in Gov.-elect Josh Shapiro’s administration. The Democrat’s campaign said Thursday that Al Schmidt will be nominated to be Shapiro’s secretary of state. That sets up Schmidt to oversee what is expected to be a hard-fought 2024 election in the critical presidential battleground of Pennsylvania. Shapiro made the post his first Cabinet selection to be publicly announced ahead of his Jan. 17 inauguration. The 51-year-old Schmidt is a Republican.