Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) traveled to Philadelphia on Tuesday to campaign with Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee Stacy Garrity, bringing one of the nation’s highest-profile Republican governors into the political backyard of Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat widely viewed as a 2028 presidential contender.
The visit comes as Garrity trails Shapiro by roughly 20 points, raising questions about how much political influence DeSantis carries in a battleground state where his 2024 presidential campaign struggled to break through. Despite ending his White House bid, DeSantis remains one of the Republican Party’s most recognizable governors and continues to campaign for GOP candidates who have embraced his governing style and agenda.
DeSantis also has personal ties to the Keystone State. His father was raised in Aliquippa, giving the Florida governor a family connection to western Pennsylvania that his allies have highlighted during previous visits.
The appearance also gives Garrity an opportunity to align herself with one of the GOP’s best-known governors as she works to narrow a wide polling deficit and fundraising disadvantage against Shapiro. Garrity has frequently pointed to DeSantis’s record in Florida, particularly on taxes, education, and economic policy, as a model she would like to replicate in Pennsylvania.
Tuesday’s fundraiser at Philadelphia’s Union League, where top-tier tickets are priced as high as $25,000, underscores another reason for DeSantis’s appearance, tapping into his national donor network to help bolster a campaign facing an incumbent with a significant financial advantage.
DeSantis’s visit coincides with another major Republican gathering in Pennsylvania. President Donald Trump is scheduled to headline the 2026 Pennsylvania Defense and Innovation Summit at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, where senior government officials, military leaders, defense executives, investors, and technology innovators are expected to gather. Organizers, including Sen. Dave McCormick’s (R-PA) office, have said the summit will showcase Pennsylvania’s growing role in defense manufacturing, artificial intelligence, robotics, critical minerals, and other emerging technologies while featuring major investment and partnership announcements. DeSanits does not appear on the list of scheduled speakers, and it is unclear if either he or Garrity will attend the two-day event.
On Tuesday, DeSantis and Garrity will participate in a “fireside conversation on affordability and the future of freedom” at the Union League of Philadelphia, as first reported by the Center Square.
“We look forward to seeing you for an inspiring afternoon of great conversation, great company, and a shared commitment to Pennsylvania’s future,” Beth Sawyer, who is listed on the invitation, said.
Garrity has repeatedly praised DeSantis’s leadership and governing record.
“I would say Gov. DeSantis is arguably, probably, if not the best, one of the best governors that we have had in modern history,” Garrity said during a recent interview on the Beth Sawyer Show on WVLT.
There was a VIP meet-and-greet from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., followed by the luncheon.
General admission tickets cost $300. Sponsorship packages range up to a $25,000 VIP level that includes a private meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with DeSantis and Garrity.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party criticized the event ahead of DeSantis’s visit.
“For the low price of $25,000, you can listen to Stacy Garrity talk about affordability alongside another MAGA politician she wants to imitate: abortion-banning Governor Ron DeSantis,” Ava Pitruzzello, a spokeswoman for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, said. “As if her complete and total allegiance to the Trump agenda, making life more expensive across our Commonwealth, wasn’t enough, this is yet another example of just how out of touch and wrong Garrity is for Pennsylvania.”
If Garrity were to defeat Shapiro in November, she would become Pennsylvania’s first female governor, pulling off one of the biggest upsets in the state’s modern political history.
After launching her campaign last summer, Garrity described Shapiro as “a smooth talker, much smoother than me,” while contrasting his political resume with her own.
JOSH SHAPIRO SIGNS $50.8 BILLION BUDGET DEAL BUT LEAVES KEY DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES BEHIND
“He’s a very polished politician, a career politician. A prolific fundraiser. But you know what? I am a hard worker,” she said.
Garrity, a second-term state treasurer, former Army Reserve officer, and manufacturing industry veteran, was the only Republican on the May 19 primary ballot. Her campaign has centered on supporting farmers, expanding Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry, and portraying Shapiro as a career politician more focused on a future White House bid than on leading the commonwealth.