PHILADELPHIA (TNS) — Just weeks after President Donald Trump said he’d support him in a bid for governor of Pennsylvania, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser has decided not to run.

Meuser, a Republican congressman in his fourth term from Northeastern Pennsylvania and strong Trump ally, had said for months he was considering a run to challenge Pennsylvania’s unusually popular first-term governor, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Meuser was a frontrunner for the GOP nomination, appearing on national TV on an almost-daily basis and making campaign-like stops around the state.

His plans to run still looked to be in play at the end of May, when Trump told a crowd of steelworkers and lawmakers outside Pittsburgh that he would “have my support totally.” However, in recent weeks, Meuser had become much more quiet about his future.

And on Tuesday, Meuser announced his decision not to run for governor in a statement, after ABC News reported that Meuser had told people privately he did not intend to run and had recently broken the news to Trump.

In the statement, Meuser said he sees his role in Congress as critical to supporting Trump and the GOP majorities in Congress.

“My focus needs to remain on doing my job, serving my constituents, and executing the plans to strengthen our country,” Meuser said, striking a much different tone than his earlier jabs at Shapiro about how he would lead the state differently.

Meuser’s announcement opens the Republican field for Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who received the most votes of any statewide candidate in state history in the November election, to try to capture the GOP nomination.

In a statement, Garrity praised Meuser for his “principled leadership in Congress,” and said she would announce her future plans “very soon.”

Republican state Sen. Doug Mastriano, who lost to Shapiro by nearly 15 percentage points in the 2022 gubernatorial race, has said he’s considering another run.

The Pennsylvania GOP declined to make an endorsement in the 2022 race for governor, contributing to the Republicans’ down-ballot losses that year with voters in the primary election choosing Mastriano, a far-right candidate, to run at the top of the ticket.

This time, top party leaders have emphasized that they will not sit on the sidelines for the primary and will make sure that their party unites around one candidate to challenge Shapiro in 2026.

Dozens of top Republicans are backing Garrity for governor, while some said they would support Garrity or Meuser for governor. All of Garrity’s supporters say they favor her over Mastriano, whom several supporters said they oppose.

Mastriano, for his part, has floated that he and Garrity run together as a governor-lieutenant governor pairing.

Republican state Sen. Greg Rothman, who chairs the state GOP, thanked Meuser for his work in Congress supporting Trump — and teased that the party already has a good candidate to challenge Shapiro next year.

“Congressman Meuser will continue to be a leader in our party for many years to come,” Rothman said. “We are confident we have an outstanding candidate for governor ready to put Pennsylvania first.”

Jim Worthington, a Bucks County business owner who chaired the Pennsylvania delegation to the RNC, said the decision did not surprise him given the narrow margins by which Trump’s “big beautiful bill” passed through Congress.

“His seat is safe for sure, but that’s just now. What happens if another Republican drops, or someone gets sick?” Worthington said. “Look what happened with BBB and (Rep. Brian) Fitzpatrick in Bucks (County), and there’s gonna be more reconciliation bills coming up.”

Worthington, who had been working closely with Meuser as he decided about whether to run, said the congressman also had reservations about “doing anything halfway.”

Meuser wouldn’t have had to resign to run for governor but would have spent a ton of time on the trail. He said Meuser’s decision didn’t come at the request of Trump, who endorsed him.

“Dan’s smart enough to realize he would never want to put the president or the country in that type of situation.”

As attention shifts to Garrity for the 2026 race, Worthington highlighted her military and business background and her statewide popularity.

“She’s way underrated in regards to what she does. I don’t ever want to believe it’s because she’s a woman, but there’s some weird reason why she doesn’t get the attention and respect that she deserves,” Worthington said, calling Garrity a “tireless campaigner.”

“She’s earned it,” he said.