Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity are set to square off in November in a high-stakes battle over who will govern one of the nation’s most consequential swing states heading into the 2028 presidential cycle.
Garrity, who is backed by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, spent the weekend campaigning alongside lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Jason Richey in Pittsburgh, Johnstown, and Exeter. Shapiro, meanwhile, has spent the past several months using his political influence to shape key state legislative and congressional races as he seeks a second term amid continued speculation about a 2028 White House run.
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A major priority for the Democratic governor is helping his party gain full control of the state legislature for the first time in decades. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Pennsylvania House, while Republicans have controlled the state Senate for more than 30 years.
Despite the race’s national implications, Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial contest has so far unfolded at a measured pace. Though Shapiro and Garrity have traded attacks in recent months, political analysts told the Washington Examiner that the real fireworks of the campaign are expected to begin after the primary. Both candidates ran unopposed on Tuesday.
Garrity has repeatedly argued that Shapiro is more focused on national ambitions than on running Pennsylvania.
“We all know that he’s more interested in Pennsylvania Avenue than helping Pennsylvania families,” Garrity said. “He thinks if he can hand Pennsylvania on a platter to the Democratic Party, then maybe they’ll take a harder look at him.”
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Shapiro has rejected that criticism, telling reporters recently that his focus is on “beating my opponent for governor and helping other Democrats get elected here and sending a clear message to Donald Trump that the chaos, cruelty, and corruption that he’s been engaged in is not something that we support here in Pennsylvania.”
With roughly 3.8 million registered Democrats compared to 3.6 million Republicans, Pennsylvania remains one of the clearest reflections of the nation’s closely divided political landscape in the Trump era.