HARRISBURG — With the primary election over, attention in Pennsylvania’s political world now turns to the marquee race of the November general election: governor.
Incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro and Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity were both uncontested in the primary, which allowed them both a long runway to ramp up their campaigns and begin fundraising.
Those early months yielded significantly different results.
As of May 4, Shapiro had raised nearly $38 million and criss-crossed the state — and the country — holding fundraisers while also promoting his memoir. His account is full of contributions from deep-pocketed donors, including a whopping $2.5 million from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
Garrity, too, hit the campaign trail. She held a fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, President Donald Trump’s Florida club, at the end of March, while also spending a lot of time at traditional campaign events, from a lunch with supporters in Somerset County to an appearance at the Scranton St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Her fundraising significantly lagged Shapiro as of May 4, with a total of about $2.8 million.
In a statement Tuesday night, Shapiro touted first-term accomplishments, including additional investments in public education and law enforcement.
“This year in Pennsylvania, we have the power to reign in the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of Donald Trump and his Administration and chart a better path forward for our Commonwealth and our country – and we’re going to use it. This is our charge, this is our time, this is our task – and we’re ready to win,” he said.
Garrity, in her own statement, said her campaign would offer voters an alternative to Shapiro, while also nodding to the uphill battle she faces.
“It will take all of us to defeat Josh Shapiro this November. Josh Shapiro has collected millions in campaign contributions from liberal billionaires and he is the darling of the national Democrat establishment,” she said. “We need Republicans, Independents, and like-minded Democrats across Pennsylvania to step up, get involved, and help carry our message of a better future for Pennsylvania to all 67 counties.”
Even though Shapiro and Garrity weren’t contested on Tuesday, their race was still top of mind for many of the voters Spotlight PA spoke to at the polls.
Judy Newsome, a 64-year-old lifelong Democrat, told Spotlight PA she cast a courtesy vote for the uncontested Shapiro in her primary, but she isn’t sure she’ll do the same in November.
Newsome, who lives in Delaware County and said one of her biggest concerns is affordability, said she wants to see how Garrity “pairs with Shapiro” on issues like funding for healthcare and Social Security, raising the minimum wage, and the war in Iran.
“You can’t just go Dem,” Newsome said.
Another Delaware County voter, 38-year-old Danielle Allor, was also unsure about whether she’ll vote for Shapiro in the fall. She left the governor box unchecked on her primary ballot, calling it a “protest vote.”
Allor’s priorities generally align with Democrats. She said she wants a candidate who will fight against federal immigration crackdowns and attacks on healthcare for transgender people, and said she’s “paying a lot of attention to [who’s] trying to strengthen local laws and protect people, not just citizens.”
Garrity has called for an investigation into commercial drivers’ licenses being held by undocumented immigrants and has been vague about her position on ICE detention facilities planned for Pennsylvania. She says she wants to keep transgender children out of girls’ sports. Shapiro’s administration is contesting the federal government’s plans to build ICE detention facilities in the state, and he has called supporters of a bill to ban transgender athletes from publicly funded sports “extremist.”
Still, Allor said she has been “disappointed” by Shapiro’s stance on the war between Israel and Palestine. It’s something that could cost Shapiro her support in the general election, she said.
(Shapiro, one of the most prominent Jewish politicians in the U.S., has repeatedly criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while also supporting the country.)
“It’s something I would have to weigh against the Republican likelihood to get into office,” Allor told Spotlight PA.
Garrity’s running mate
One of Garrity’s first questions for a pair of voters in Dauphin County on Tuesday was, “Did you vote for Jason Richey?”
Richey, a Pittsburgh attorney, vied for the nod to run with Garrity and was backed by her. He was challenged by John Ventre, a UFO enthusiast and former UPS executive from western Pennsylvania.
Ventre was criticized by the Garrity-Richey campaign for racist comments he made on social media years ago. He told Spotlight PA that he has apologized for and deleted those posts.
The Associated Press called the race for Richey shortly after 10 p.m. He was leading with 65% of the vote.
Current Lt. Gov. Austin Davis ran unopposed to once again be Shapiro’s running mate.
A Republican not on the ballot looms large
While Garrity was uncontested on the ballot, supporters of state Sen. Doug Mastriano launched an informal write-in campaign earlier this year.
It had at least some support on the ground. Multiple Republican voters who spoke to Spotlight PA on Tuesday said they wrote in Mastriano.
Linda and Dennis Pfleiger, 77 and 78, respectively, turned out in Quakertown to cast their ballots in the GOP primary despite having few uncontested races to weigh in on.
Linda Pfleiger said she would "absolutely" vote for Mastriano again, and her husband agreed (though both were unaware of the write-in campaign).
"I thought he was a very honest man and he stood up for the people," she said. About Garrity, however, they knew little.
Garrity told Spotlight PA that the write-in campaign does not have “anything to do with me whatsoever.”
“I think that they're loyal to him because he really stuck up for folks when they were locked down during COVID,” Garrity said. “I think that there's still a residual amount of appreciation for that.”
Garrity said she was not concerned about how a strong turnout of Mastriano supporters might harm her campaign’s image among potential donors.