Likely Pennsylvania Gov Candidate Slams Shapiro Over Rumored Presidential Ambitions

Pennsylvania Republican Stacy Garrity all but kicked off her campaign against Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro Monday with a scorching video labeling him a “career politician” who is thirsting for a White House bid while presiding over late state budgets.

The digital spot from the state’s treasurer accused Shapiro of “spending his time in other states, raising money from the most radical liberals to bankroll his campaign for president.”

“Shapiro has also been traveling out of state to appear on the most liberal talk shows, including The View and The Daily Show and Colbert to talk about his run for president,” the narrator said.

Shapiro is considered a top potential presidential candidate in 2028, but has not said whether he will run for the White House.

The video seemed intended to signal that Garrity would mount a more aggressive campaign against Shapiro than his past rivals. Far-right state Sen. Doug Mastriano lost to Shapiro by 15 points in 2022, after raising little money and airing few TV ads. Mastriano is considering another gubernatorial bid and remains popular with the MAGA base.

“I can tell you on the record that this may be both the first ad of 2026 and 2028,” Garrity adviser John Brabender told POLITICO. “And that it’s just a start.”

The battleground state of Pennsylvania will host a gubernatorial race and as many as five competitive House races as Democrats grasp for control over the lower chamber in the midterms next year.

Garrity, a combat veteran in her second term as treasurer, is seen by state GOP insiders as the best Republican candidate to challenge Shapiro. Mastriano’s potential bid has alarmed President Donald Trump’s advisers and Pennsylvania Republicans.

But many Republicans privately acknowledge that any gubernatorial hopeful would face an uphill battle against Shapiro, who earned a 61 percent approval rating from registered voters in a recent Morning Consult poll. He is also a proven fundraiser, with more than $11 million in the bank at the end of 2024.

Garrity’s team would not say how much it spent on the nearly two-minute video, which is likely only airing online.

Garrity has not yet announced she is running for governor, but suggested she will soon, saying on X, “Help is on the way. Stay tuned.”

A Shapiro spokesperson declined to comment on the video, instead pointing to the governor’s recent comments about the gubernatorial race.

"Here's what I know to be true: the Republicans will nominate someone to run against me for governor. Let them play that out,” Shapiro said last month. “They'll deal with their politics on their side. I'm going to continue doing my job governing for all Pennsylvanians, Democrats, Republicans, independents and keep getting stuff done."