Pa. Treasurer Stacy Garrity launches GOP challenge to Josh Shapiro for governor
The two-term incumbent, 61, slammed Shapiro in her campaign kickoff video as vying for the White House while overlooking Pennsylvania's woes.
'While Josh Shapiro has been spending his time running for president and fundraising in California and other liberal states, raising money from far-left mega donors like Bloomberg and Soros, critical problems in Pennsylvania have been ignored,' said a narrator in the spot.
Garrity attacked Shapiro's handling of high prices, schools and infrastructure.
Garrity also zeroed in on one of the biggest controversies in the Shapiro administration, in which one of his former longtime top aides resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.
'I will never embarrass Pennsylvania with scandals, unconscionable behavior, deleted emails and cover-ups and a total lack of transparency like Shapiro has,' Garrity said in the video.
Shapiro has largely demurred when asked directly about the controversy, emphasizing his history of fighting sexual harassment and abuse and maintaining that his office has strong procedures for handling harassment claims. Shapiro has also said that he didn't know about the accuser's complaint until months after it was filed due to internal policy that has since been changed.
In a preview of future attacks, Democrats have criticized Garrity over her support of President Donald Trump's megabill, her celebration of the fall of Roe v. Wade, and her speech at a Jan. 5, 2021 rally in Harrisburg where she told the crowd to 'question the integrity' of the election. Garrity's team has said she was referring to a state Senate race, not the presidential election.
'Stacy Garrity is as extreme as they come — and with her dangerous agenda and a record of lauding DC Republicans' disastrous budget bill, she can't be trusted to stand up for Pennsylvanians,' said Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Izzi Levy.
GOP leaders in the state are expected to throw their support behind Garrity. Many of them are concerned about the prospect of far-right state Sen. Doug Mastriano mounting a comeback bid against Shapiro after losing to him by 15 percentage points in 2022 — and dragging down the rest of the ticket, including incumbents in must-win House races. Mastriano has been teasing a run on social media, and has said he would not be deterred by GOP efforts to clear the field.
On Monday, Mastriano boasted in a talk radio interview that 'if we get in, we will win the primary.' He argued that if the state Republican Party endorses Garrity, that could demoralize the GOP base and lead to a loss against Shapiro.
With an eye toward the endorsement that matters the most in the GOP primary, Garrity touts in her video that she is 'a strong ally of Trump.' It is unclear whether Trump will endorse in the gubernatorial primary, though his advisers are worried about a potential Mastriano bid and its impact on House races.
While Garrity is widely seen as a more formidable challenger than Mastriano, even many Republicans privately acknowledge that any campaign against Shapiro will be an uphill battle. A recent Morning Consult poll showed Shapiro with a 61 percent approval rating, and he had more than $11 million in the bank at the end of 2024.
Shapiro is considered a potential presidential candidate in 2028 but has not said that he is interested in running for the White House. Asked for comment, a Shapiro spokesperson pointed to the governor's recent remarks on Garrity.
'The Republicans are going to deal with their intramural fight. I'm not going to get into their parlor games,' Shapiro told reporters at an event Friday. 'You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to keep creating jobs here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I'm going to fund our kids' schools. I'm going to make sure that we have more cops on the beat.'
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