Stacy Garrity is officially running for governor of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a Republican, announced Monday that she is running for governor, setting the stage for a challenge to Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026.

The second-term state treasurer, who is term-limited in her position, is a strong supporter of President Donald Trump, as well as a fiscal conservative who has taken a public stance against abortion.

The Bradford County native, who if elected would become Pennsylvania’s first female governor, will now attempt to capture the GOP nomination, as the 2022 Republican nominee, State Sen. Doug Mastriano (R., Franklin), still weighs a second run.

Garrity, 61, has for months teased a bid for the governor’s mansion on social media and in press interviews. Those hints have accelerated in recent weeks, in which she released an attack ad criticizing Shapiro. Her announcement Monday struck a similar tone, accusing Shapiro of lacking transparency and being more interested in higher office than in serving the state, and claiming Pennsylvania’s standing in the country has gotten worse.

“When I enlisted to serve in the military, I took a solemn oath to defend our country and to honor her principles,” Garrity said in the video announcing her candidacy. “Today, I’m announcing that I am running to become Pennsylvania’s next governor. And I’m giving you and your family my solemn oath that I will work hard every day to fix the problems Josh Shapiro created.”

Garrity replaced Shapiro as Pennsylvania’s top vote-getter in the history of any state-level candidate when she won reelection last year. She has been a leading prospect for Republican insiders hoping to seriously challenge Shapiro, an unusually popular first-term governor.

Shapiro, for his part, won in 2022 by 15 percentage points, or 800,000 votes, and is rumored to have his eyes on the White House in 2028. In the 2022 cycle, Shapiro did not participate in a debate in either the primary or general elections, and shattered previous spending records.

A spokesperson for Shapiro declined to comment on Garrity’s candidacy, referring to the governor’s comments last week at a news conference in Luzerne County.

When asked then about Garrity’s potential run, Shapiro said he would not talk about the GOP’s intraparty fights.

“You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to keep creating jobs here in 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,” Shapiro added.

Garrity focused her campaign announcement on Shapiro and how she would bring new leadership to the state.

But in private emails sent to state committee members obtained by The Inquirer, she made the case much more directly: GOP officials must choose a strong candidate for the top of the ticket to protect Republicans’ U.S. House majority in 2026, as well as its state Senate control.

» READ MORE: Democrats are already planning for 2026 and think they can flip these four Pa. congressional seats

Top GOP officials fear that Mastriano, who leads state polls, would be able to clinch the GOP nomination in 2026 if he runs again but would ultimately hurt Republican candidates down ballot.

“If we have a strong candidate at the top of the ticket, I am confident that we can hold onto the Senate seats and reclaim the majority in the State House,” Garrity wrote to GOP state committee members. “But if we don’t have a strong candidate for Governor, I fear we will lose Senate seats and give the Democrats an even bigger majority in the State House.”

“If we don’t have a strong candidate at the top of the ballot in Pennsylvania, President Trump could end up spending his last two years in office fighting off baseless impeachment proceedings,” she added.

Garrity is one of the only women elected to statewide office and has risen as a party leader in Pennsylvania in recent years.

She is a retired U.S. Army colonel and former corporate executive who has managed to define herself by running a critical (but often unknown) state office. She has paid the state’s bills with little controversy and focused on making the office’s work more transparent.

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In 2004, while serving a combat deployment in the Middle East, she earned the nickname “the Angel of the Desert” for her humane approach to running the prison at Camp Bucca in Iraq.

Garrity has not been in Pennsylvania politics long. She won a long-shot campaign in 2020 over incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella, who outspent her 11-1.

Shapiro has won statewide office on three occasions: twice as attorney general and once for governor. A Morning Consult poll conducted between April and June among registered Pennsylvania voters found Shapiro’s approval rating topped 61%, with only 27% of voters disapproving of the job he is doing.

Garrity also has some challenges to confront within the state’s Republican Party before she can secure the GOP nomination.

First, she would need to capture the the party’s endorsement, which the state GOP has said it plans to decide in September. Then, she would have to win the primary election next spring, which could be a challenge if Mastriano decides to run. A private poll conducted in May by Public Policy Polling found Mastriano led Garrity by 21 percentage points, Politico reported.

Still, top members of the state GOP and county chairs have publicly supported Garrity, and she is the favorite going into any state party endorsement convention.

Throughout her time in politics, Garrity has remained a staunch supporter of Trump, including appearing at multiple Trump rallies across Pennsylvania and parroting the falsehood that he actually won the 2020 election over President Joe Biden.

Garrity also is vocally against abortion and advertised a “pro-life collection” of merchandise in 2022, including a “Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Defund Planned Parenthood” shirt and a “Baby Lives Matter” hat.

Shapiro did Garrity a favor last year when he decided not to endorse in the treasurer’s race. Garrity’s opponent, Democratic nominee Erin McClelland, had publicly criticized Shapiro while he was up for consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. Shapiro’s choice not to endorse opened the door for labor unions and other Democratic groups — which usually would not support a GOP candidate — to endorse Garrity.

Garrity had been complimentary of Shapiro over the years for their good working relationship, a tone that has shifted drastically in recent months as she got closer to announcing a bid for governor.

“I am well aware that this is going to be a tough race, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge,” Garrity wrote in an email to GOP state committee members on Monday. “We will be viewed as the underdog by many. But with grit, hard work, and dedication, I am confident that we can end Josh Shapiro’s time in Harrisburg.”

Shapiro’s allies, some of whom supported Garrity for treasurer in 2024, have issued warnings to Garrity that if she chose to run for governor, they will “sever any relationship we ever maintained.”

Mastriano, for his part, has floated the idea of running with Garrity, noting her statewide popularity and his grassroots supporters, a prospect Garrity has declined to comment on.

On a conservative radio show Monday, Mastriano was asked about whether he would run for lieutenant governor to be Garrity’s No. 2. In Pennsylvania, lieutenant governors and governors run separately in the primary before joining as a single ticket in the general election.

“I’d love to have her as my lieutenant governor,” Mastriano said in response.

Mastriano continues to oppose an early endorsement by the state GOP, approximately eight months before the primary election is set to take place. The Pennsylvania Republican Party has traditionally endorsed at its winter meeting in January or February, but endorsed early in the 2024 election — and saw GOP wins up and down the ballot. State Sen. Greg Rothman, the new chair of the state GOP, wants to replicate that success in the governor’s contest.

“No backroom deal or early coronation can match the strength of the people’s voice,” Mastriano said in a statement. “I welcome a fair primary where Republican voters, not political insiders, choose their nominee.”

Mastriano has said he would decide whether he plans to enter the race at his own pace, and continues to tease a run.