In the race for Pennsylvanian governor, Stacy Garrity is trying to pull off an improbable upset. In 2020, she defeated the previous state treasurer who had far more funding and support than she did. However, her chances of securing the position of Pennsylvania state governor over Josh Shapiro are slim. Shapiro is arguably the most prominent PA politician behind former President Joe Biden. He is a dominant force in the Democratic party and extremely well liked by his peers. His campaign funding is 34 times greater than Garrity’s, but Garrity is determined that she can pull off a victory.
Garrity’s main campaign strategy is to garner support from rural areas. She has pledged to speed up permitting for farmers, increase natural gas production, and put a stop to data center development. Being from a small town herself, Garrity believes she can connect with rural communities to beat Shapiro. Most polls still show Shapiro leading the race for governor by a large margin. Additionally, funding has become a major issue. Shapiro is receiving $2.5 million donations, while Garrity’s top donors are only giving hundreds of thousands.
Garrity has claimed that President Donald Trump is going to help fund her campaign. In early August, she publicly received Trump’s endorsement in a short video from the Oval Office. Many believe that Garrity’s connection to Trump could ultimately hurt her campaign. Although she has openly shared her conservative beliefs for years, Trump’s approval ratings have taken significant hits since his second term, and even long term supporters have turned against him. Garrity’s choice to align herself with Trump may further damage her already slim chance of winning.
Garrity knows that this election is important. Democrats have a chance to wrest control of the state Senate from Republicans; something that has not happened in decades. Furthermore, there is a possibility of Democrats winning the majority in both chambers of the state legislature and governorship. If this were to happen it would be the first time in a decade that either party had trifecta control of the Pennsylvania government. Allies and opponents agree that Garrity is a strong state treasurer. During her time in office, Pennsylvania’s 529 college and career savings program received a gold rating, and more than $1 billion has been returned in unclaimed property taxes. While Garrity is competent as the state treasurer, it may not be enough to defeat Shapiro, especially during such an important election.
