Republican Stacy Garrity seeks to challenge Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's reelection bid
Garrity said in a statement that she "will bring jobs back, strengthen our economy and make Pennsylvania more affordable for families in every corner of the state.'
Some top Pennsylvania Republicans support Garrity in the 2026 race for governor and hope she'll see a clear primary field, although those hopes have been buffeted in recent weeks by 2022's losing gubernatorial candidate, Doug Mastriano, suggesting that he'll run again.
Garrity has hinted at a run for months and stepped up her criticism of Shapiro. In campaign fundraising appeals, she accused Shapiro of being soft on law and order and hostile to her 'pro-worker, pro-energy, pro-America agenda.'
In a video released Monday, she called herself a "strong ally" of President Donald Trump, highlighted her military service and vowed to 'fix the problems Josh Shapiro has created.' That, she said, includes Pennsylvania's relatively high tax burden and rising grocery prices.
Shapiro has returned fire, blasting her for supporting Trump's big tax break and spending cut package. He has suggested that she supported it more because of 'her desire to seek Trump's approval than her desire to actually be a good advocate" for Pennsylvanians and said it would hurt rural hospitals and people who rely on Medicaid, drive up the cost of energy and blow up the federal deficit.
In her video, Garrity defended the bill as 'requiring able-bodied recipients to work for their benefits and ending benefits for those here illegally.' Trump has not made an endorsement in the race.
Asked about Garrity on Friday, Shapiro said he's going to keep creating jobs, funding schools, keeping police officers on the beat and bringing Republicans and Democrats together, while Republicans "can focus on their political games all they want.'
Garrity's task of challenging Shapiro is, by any measure, a tall one. Garrity is relatively untested and spent less than $3 million in her two campaigns for treasurer in 2020 and 2024.
Shapiro, 52, has won three statewide races, carries a reputation as a disciplined messenger and powerhouse fundraiser who spent more than $70 million alone in his sole campaign for governor, smashing Pennsylvania's campaign finance record.
He's grown into a national figure after he made Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris' shortlist for vice presidential running mates last year and is viewed as a potential White House contender for the party in 2028.
For Republicans, there is more on the line than knocking off Shapiro. They also want a credible candidate at the top of their ticket as they try to bring out enough voters to defend their congressional seats and their majority in the U.S. House.
Shapiro is a former state House member, county commissioner and attorney general who has a base of support in his home in Philadelphia's heavily populated suburbs.
Garrity, 61, is from rural northern Pennsylvania and came to politics late in life.
A trained accountant, Garrity was a longtime executive for a powdered metals supplier in northern Pennsylvania. She was also an Army reservist who retired as a colonel and served in Iraq, where she ran the detention center at Camp Bucca as part of the 800th Military Police Brigade.
Since her 2020 upset victory of the incumbent Democratic treasurer, Garrity has been an avid campaigner, speaking at numerous Trump rallies. In 2022, she was perhaps the GOP's most visible surrogate for Mastriano.
Shapiro won his 2022 contest by almost 15 percentage points, an election cycle Republicans would rather forget.
By all accounts, Shapiro and Garrity have had a professional working relationship and avoided partisan squabbling over official matters. Shapiro even gave Garrity a warm and personal introduction in January before she was sworn in to her second term as treasurer.
During her time as treasurer, Pennsylvania has run up big surpluses, buoyed by federal COVID-19 aid and inflation-juiced tax collections.
That temporarily took pressure off state finances. However, Pennsylvania is reverting to its status as a perennial deficit state, and Garrity has warned that Shapiro's continued stewardship will force tax increases onto residents.
As treasurer, Garrity kept several top Democratic staffers on board, expanded the ways in which the department can return unclaimed property and increased the department's investments in Israel bonds.
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This story has been corrected to remove erroneous word from Shapiro's quote in sixth paragraph.
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Follow Marc Levy on X at: https://x.com/timelywriter
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