Austin Davis Becomes PA's First Black Lieutenant Governor

HARRISBURG, PA — Austin Davis made Pennsylvania history on Tuesday, being sworn in as Pennsylvania's first Black lieutenant governor. Davis, 33, becomes the highest-ranking Black official in the state's executive branch.

Davis was inaugurated in the state Senate chambers shortly before the inauguration of Josh Shapiro as the state's 48th governor. Shapiro succeeds former Gov. Tom Wolf, who was term-limited after serving for eight years.

Davis, 33, of McKeesport in Allegheny County, spent four years in the state House before vaulting to his current position. He succeeds John Fetterman, who was elected to the U.S. Senate in November.

Davis noted the historical significance of the moment in a speech in the state Senate.

"This moment is a symbol of our progress, here in the Commonwealth we love, and it is one that I hope serves as a point of pride for millions of Pennsylvanians who have never before seen themselves represented in the halls of power," he said.

"Today, the son of a union bus driver and a hairdresser, a boy who grew up in a small steel town often overlooked by those in power, a young man driven to his first city council meeting to demand action on gun violence after it reached his neighborhood, is being inaugurated to
the second highest position in our Commonwealth."