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See which Pa. treasurer candidate is right for you

Pennsylvania’s Nov. 5 election is fast approaching, and Pennsylvanians will soon have to decide which treasurer candidate to support.

The major party candidates on the ballot this November are Democrat Erin McClelland and Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity.

To help highlight the differences between the candidates, and show you which candidate you best align with, Spotlight PA has created this quiz. It was informed by a candidate questionnaire both campaigns filled out. See McClelland’s here and Garrity’s here.

Here’s how your answers aligned with each candidate.

Learn more about Erin McClelland and Stacy Garrity or .

How the Candidates Stack Up

Here is how each question and answer in the quiz aligns with each candidate.

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    Yes
  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    No

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    "Protecting capital, generating strong returns for taxpayers, and ensuring sufficient liquidity to meet the state's spending needs."

  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    "First a structure of standards, similar to the rating structure that credit ratings use as a basic platform. Second, an extremely cautious approach to financial products is essential in a post-2008 investment universe."

  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    Pennsylvania State Education Association

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry

  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    ”I do not support most foreign investments with state money.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    “Yes, as long as the investment fits into the prudent investor standard that the treasurer is required to follow and makes good sense for Pennsylvania taxpayers.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    Yes
  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    No

  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    ”I will write checks as the legislature budgets. However, if legislation is illegal or unconstitutional, I feel it is the treasurer's responsibility to the taxpayers to vet the legislation in court.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    “Yes. Every law enacted in Pennsylvania is presumed to be constitutional – and the Treasurer does not have the authority to override laws passed by the General Assembly and signed by the Governor because she doesn't like their spending decisions.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    Yes
  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    No

  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    “My political philosophy is an honest-broker, accountable only to the people. I believe in learning from our past mistakes, and have studied the mishaps of the 2008 collapse in an effort to ensure we are prepared to prevent such an event again.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    “When I was in the military, nobody asked their fellow soldiers if they were Republicans or Democrats before serving shoulder-to-shoulder to protect American interests. That's the same approach I bring to this job.”

  • Picture of Stacy Garrity

    Stacy Garrity

    Republican

    Yes
  • Picture of Erin McClelland

    Erin McClelland

    Democrat

    No

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