30-Year-Veteran With Three Deployments Launches GOP Bid For Governor In Key Swing State

Republican Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity on Monday launched a campaign to torpedo Democratic Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s reelection bid.

Garrity, a two-term state treasurer who served for 30 years in the Army Reserve, released a video on social media Monday torching Shapiro’s record leading Pennsylvania, adding she was running to make the state more affordable and an attractive place for businesses and young people. While Shapiro could an hold advantage in the 2026 gubernatorial election given his fundraising prowess and net positive approval rating, Garrity’s entry is expected to make the swing state contest competitive.

“I’m giving you and your family my solemn oath that I will work hard every day to fix the problems Josh Shapiro has created,” Garrity said in her campaign announcement video.

Despite spending less than $3 million for her state treasurer campaigns in 2020 and 2024, Garrity won her race during both cycles while outperforming President Donald Trump each time. 

The Republican unseated incumbent Democratic Pennsylvania State Treasurer Joe Torsella in 2020, even as former President Joe Biden carried the Keystone State. She secured the most votes ever recorded for a Pennsylvania statewide candidate in her successful reelection campaign, winning by a margin 4.5 percentage points higher than Trump’s margin of victory in the state.

Though the gubernatorial candidate is likely to have the backing of Pennsylvania establishment Republicans, Garrity still may face a competitive GOP primary.

Republican Pennsylvania state senator Doug Mastriano, who previously mounted a failed campaign against Shapiro, has floated making another run against the incumbent governor. He lost to Shapiro by roughly 15 percentage points in 2022 after winning the Republican nomination in a crowded primary.

Garrity is thus far the only declared Republican candidate in Pennsylvania’s 2026 gubernatorial contest.

Trump has yet to back a candidate in the crucial swing state race. Garrity’s campaign announcement video highlights her support for Trump’s agenda and includes a picture of the gubernatorial candidate with the president.

Garrity served three deployments in Iraq, including Operation Desert Storm, and received the Bronze Sta twice, according to her campaign announcement video.

“I have been an underdog my whole life, in the army and in business and in politics, and that’s why I’ve been able to succeed when the odds are stacked against me.”

Shapiro, who was on the shortlist to serve as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, is rumored to be considering a presidential campaign in 2028. He has not officially launched a reelection bid, but is widely expected to seek a second term.

Garrity has hammered the incumbent governor for ignoring “critical problems” in Pennsylvania while spending time fundraising in California and other blue states. She also blasted Shapiro’s handling of a sexual harassment controversy in his administration that resulted in one of his top aides resigning in 2023.

“To know just how much of a failure Josh Shapiro has been, all you need to do is look at the facts,” Garrity said in the campaign announcement video.

A spokesperson for Shapiro referred to the Daily Caller News Foundation to the governor’s recent comments on Garrity teasing a gubernatorial run.

“The Republicans are going to deal with their intramural fight. I’m not going to get into their parlor games,” Shapiro said at a Friday press conference in Luzerne County. “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, and I’m going to focus on doing my job of bringing Republicans and Democrats together to get stuff done.

“That’s my focus,” Shapiro continued. “They can focus on their political games all they want.”