Garrity: “Josh Shapiro has made Pennsylvania mediocre”

“Pennsylvania is not reaching its potential, and the buck stops at Josh Shapiro’s desk.”

With those words, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity sent a salvo across the Commonwealth as she made her first campaign address of the season at the Pennsylvania Press Club luncheon in Harrisburg on Monday.

“I know I struck a nerve when I recently said Josh Shapiro’s made Pennsylvania mediocre … and that’s because the truth hurts.”

Garrity, the endorsed Republican candidate in the field for the 2026 governor’s race, said she made a choice to speak to the Pennsylvania media first, “unlike my opponent who talks to the national press first.”

The 61-year-old native of Bradford County talked about her background, serving in the U.S. Army with three combat deployments in the Middle East – Operation Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom. She shared a story about an abused woman who arrived at Camp Bucca, which was an enemy prisoner of war internment camp, not a domestic abuse shelter. After taking the woman and her three children in, Garrity was told by the woman’s husband that he would kill them all if they were not sent home. 

“Let’s just say we ensured [she] received the due process she deserved,” recalled Garrity. “[Hers] was one of the individual tragedies of war that’s too often lost in the shuffle, yet we helped solve the individual crisis that had overtaken her world.”

She said she ran for State Treasurer as an opportunity to use the skills learned in uniform, and in business, as a way to give back.

“I was committed to having an impactful tenure as your Treasurer … to make a difference,” Garrity said “And I think we have.”

She touted her work with the Treasury, reducing PA 529 fees that can be used for college tuition, fees, room and board, computers, and more, by $22 million, while tripling assets under PA ABLE accounts that gives individuals with qualifying disabilities a tax-advantaged way to save or invest without impacting their government benefits. Garrity also said that her department has returned over $1 billion in unclaimed property to its rightful owners.

“I guess you could say we got … stuff … done,” using a line that Shapiro has repeated throughout his tenure as governor.

“You see, getting stuff done is not a catchy political tagline to me,” she continued. “It’s something I’ve prided myself in accomplishing at every point in my life because I believe actions speak far louder than words.”

She tried out the occasional attack line on Shapiro to see what might land in future stump speeches.

“For all his grandstanding, Josh Shapiro can’t explain away the fact that Pennsylvania ranks 38th economically, 39th in education and 41st overall,” she said. “So he sweeps it under the rug and runs to the nearest TV camera to tout an isolated success.

“You know as well as anyone, the most dangerous place in Harrisburg is standing between Josh Shapiro and a TV camera, and Pennsylvania is less because of it.”

Garrity was critical of the administration’s performance when it comes to infrastructure, education, and workforce and shared her plans for how a Garrity administration would differ.

“As governor, we will take a two-pronged approach to upgrading the Commonwealth’s infrastructure. We will fix what we have by ending wasteful Turnpike transfers, demand accountability from transit agencies, cut bureaucratic delays, and prioritize freight and economic mobility. Second, we will deploy artificial intelligence to predict maintenance needs, reduce congestion, prevent waste, and deliver projects faster and cheaper.

“Today, Pennsylvania ranks ninth in spending per student, yet we rank 39th in education nationally. By the end of my administration, we will be in the top 10 in educating our children. This past year, Josh Shapiro increased education spending by nearly $900 million, yet his budget did not include a single new dollar for career and technical education. This is malpractice.”

She was also critical of Pennsylvania’s economy, saying the state “is in the bottom tier of states for economic performance and growth and above average for family and business tax burdens with our effective property tax rate among the highest in the nation.

In response to a question from the audience, Garrity said that if she is elected governor, Pennsylvania would fully cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as President Donald Trump’s administration steps up enforcement of immigration laws.

“The most important thing that you can do as governor is make sure you have safe communities and make sure that people are safe,” Garrity said. “It takes a cooperative effort at every effort of law enforcement. You can see how states that cooperate, the results are far different than states that have not been cooperative.”

Garrity said her style of governing would differ from the sitting governor.

“You couldn’t get any more different,” she said. “I am not a career politician. My whole life is around service. Show up, roll up your sleeves and get the job done.

“The fact is Josh Shapiro sticks his head in the sand and blames President Trump for all our problems, he’s sued the President nearly 30 times! But he takes no responsibility for the failures he’s caused.”

Asked about her position on abortion, Garrity said that her position has never changed.

“I am pro-life, but for some exceptions,” she stated. “Now the only extreme position is my opponent, who believes that you should be able to have an abortion for any reason, at any time, using your taxpayer dollars.”

Garrity was asked about comments from Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) that Shapiro might have a “problem with strong women.”

“Well, anybody that deletes their emails after a sexual harassment case in their office and pays off the young lady $295,000 … I don’t think that’s such a female-friendly administration,” she said. “I protect women while Josh Shapiro doesn’t it and you don’t have to look any farther than that.”

Garrity also mentioned the case of Ellen Greenberg, a school teacher who was found stabbed 20 times in the front and back and her death, while initially ruled a homicide, was later changed to a suicide. Shapiro inherited the case as Attorney General after the suicide determination and says the information his office gathered pointed toward a suicide.

The hill looks steep for Garrity, while although her team announced that she raised $1.5 million since the launch of her campaign, her opponent recently touted raising $400,000 in two days since his reelection announcement, bringing his total to over $30 million.

But the Army veteran is undeterred.

“Josh Shapiro has taken his eye off the ball because he’s more concerned with Pennsylvania Avenue than solving the problems facing Pennsylvania families in 2026,” she said. “I’m running for Governor to do what I’ve always done: serve my community, serve my commonwealth, and serve my country. I’m running for Governor to fix all of Josh Shapiro’s messes.

“Josh Shapiro has dug us a deep hole, and it will take all of us to get out of it. I learned firsthand that when you’re in a foxhole, your battle buddy doesn’t ask what your political affiliation is, he wants to know that you have his back. I have Pennsylvanians’ back.”