FIRST ON FOX: Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced her Republican campaign for governor Monday, teeing up what could be a competitive race against incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro in 2026.
Speaking exclusively with Fox News Digital ahead of her campaign launch, the Republican candidate said she is challenging Shapiro in next year's gubernatorial election because he "has failed the state," on critical issues, including energy production, education and job creation. She said the state's vast oil and gas resources are the keys to its economy.
"I have a much different vision for the Commonwealth," Garrity, 61, said in a phone interview before announcing her campaign for governor. "We really need to take advantage of what we have right under our feet, which would create a lot of financial breathing room for the Commonwealth that we desperately need."
Garrity said her position on energy puts her right in step with President Donald Trump and Sen. Dave McCormick, who both called for unleashing American energy in battleground Pennsylvania during the 2024 presidential election.
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"We have so much natural gas under our feet," Garrity said, calling the energy "billions of dollars in economic opportunity."
Pennsylvania, a reliable swing state, experienced a red wave in 2024, as Trump won at the top of the ticket and McCormick unseated former longtime Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., on the Senate line.
Garrity said Pennsylvania voters delivered a message loud and clear last year.
Pennsylvanians want "more money in our pockets" and less of the "government's hands in our pockets," the treasurer, who said she travels to all 67 counties in the Commonwealth each year, said.
Keystone State residents also want school choice, safe communities and no "boys competing against girls in sports," Garrity said.
The Republican hopeful took aim at Shapiro's policies on school choice, arguing that "he might be able to play political games with education, but our kids certainly can't."
Shapiro recently told reporters that the Commonwealth doesn't need "extremist politicians" trying to legislate student participation in sports, in reference to a recent bill in the Pennsylvania legislature that would prevent transgender athletes from playing in women's sports, according to WITF.
"He's with radical liberals that are pushing a political agenda," Garrity said, before adding, "As far as I'm concerned, that's not fairness, and it's not leadership. It's really, in my opinion, a betrayal of common sense and the integrity of women's athletics."
Garrity also criticized Shapiro for what she described as flip-flopping on school choice and "fail[ing] the state" in delivering a state budget.
Shapiro, who presides over a politically divided state legislature, missed the Commonwealth's deadline to pass its budget this year.
The Democratic governor captured national attention last year when he was short-listed as a potential running mate for former Vice President Kamala Harris, after former President Joe Biden suspended his re-election campaign.
"I'm not as well polished as Josh Shapiro," Garrity admitted to Fox News Digital. "I'm definitely not as good of a politician as Josh Shapiro, and he's a prolific fundraiser. This is going to be a tough race."
But despite Shapiro's potential advantage as an incumbent governor with national recognition, Garrity said, "I am a really tough worker."
Garrity touted that in her first race for state treasurer, she managed to upset a popular incumbent, and "then the second time around, I got more votes for this election than any statewide candidate in Pennsylvania's history, including Josh Shapiro."
"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," Garrity said.
"State treasurer is my first role in public office, but not my first in public service," the Republican hopeful said. "I did spend 30 years in the Army Reserves. I was deployed three times to the Middle East."
Garrity also served in the private sector, at Global Tungsten & Powders, where she worked her way up to becoming one of two female vice presidents.
Now, as state treasurer, Garrity said, "Every day that I get to wake up and serve hardworking Pennsylvanians is truly a blessing."
Garrity has been teasing her gubernatorial run for months. Fellow Trump-ally Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., was considered a potential Republican candidate as well.
His announcement last month that he would not run for Pennsylvania governor cleared a path for Garrity's announcement on Monday morning.
Pennsylvania's gubernatorial primary is set for May 19, 2026, and the midterm election is slated for Nov. 3, 2026.
When reached for comment regarding Garrity's announcement, the Shapiro campaign directed Fox News Digital to the governor's comments during a recent press conference.
"I'm going to keep creating jobs here in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania," Shapiro told reporters. "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. They can focus on their political games all they want."
Original article source: SCOOP: Stacy Garrity launches Republican campaign for Pennsylvania governor
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