Josh Shapiro, at 49, is Pennsylvania’s first post-baby-boom governor. Less certain is whether that will translate into better state governance.

Pennsylvanians demonstrated their desire for real governance, rather than ideologically driven political theater, when they elected the Democrat in November by nearly 15 percentage points over Republican state senator and ideological firebrand Doug Mastriano.

Shapiro established a reputation for independence 17 years ago when, as a young state representative, he was the first Democrat to call for Democratic speaker William DeWeese to resign in the “bonusgate” scandal. He developed a reputation for competence as a commissioner of Montgomery County, the state’s third-largest. And in six years as attorney general, he developed a reputation for taking on tough cases, although not always with complete success.

All of that bodes well for Shapiro to navigate the hazards of divided government. Democrats likely will have a one-vote House majority; Republicans have firm control of the Senate.

But the governance divide is more than party-oriented. Shapiro vowed during his campaign to seek compromise. But the trick will be to do that without alienating the party’s base.

For example, one of his early decisions will be whether to keep Pennsylvania committed to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a carbon cap-and-trade agreement among eastern states that is favored by Democratic environmental activists. Most Republicans and many conservative Democrats, especially union interests allied with the gas industry, oppose it. Whether Shapiro can thread that needle might indicate how well he will deal with many other issues, such as charter school regulation, that entail not only political, but regional, cultural and demographic differences.

In some ways, Shapiro also will have to negotiate changes that preceded him. Former Democratic governor and legendary deal-maker Ed Rendell, for example, recently told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the Republican leadership is far for more ideological and less “transactional” than during his 2003-2011 tenure, thus less amenable to deal-making.

Shapiro clearly has great potential. But as he leads the next generation into power, the question is the degree to which the guard, and the culture of state governance, will change with him.

— The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre via TNS