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Connections

Could University of Rochester graduate Josh Shapiro be the next U.S. president?

Three men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a man at left has short brown hair and is wearing a maroon long-sleeved shirt; a bald man at center is wearing glasses and a blue and white plaid button-down shirt; a  man at right has very short dark hair and is wearing a blue button-down shirt, jeans and brown shoes.
Mari Tsuchiya
/
WXXI News
Mitch Gruber and Gerald Gamm with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Monday, March 16, 2026
WXXI News

One of the leading presidential contenders for 2028, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, is a graduate of the University of Rochester. We sit down with a UR professor who knew Shapiro when the future governor was a student.

Professor Gerald Gamm and fellow UR graduate and Rochester City Council member Mitch Gruber discuss how they have seen Shapiro‘s career grow. They also talk about some of the unique dynamics that could affect a Shapiro campaign.

In studio:

Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.
Julie Williams is an associate producer for "Connections with Evan Dawson." She started at WXXI in 2019 and has been working on Connections since 2022.