Josh Shapiro secures 2nd term as governor
HARRISBURG — Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro easily beat back a challenge by Republican Stacy Garrity on Tuesday, setting the stage for a second term as Pennsylvania’s top executive.
Unofficial results Tuesday evening showed Shapiro cruising toward a commanding victory over Garrity. The Associated Press called the race just one minute after polls closed at 8 p.m.
Despite holding statewide office and receiving President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Garrity was hampered by lackluster fundraising, limited support from the GOP and Shapiro’s name recognition, approval ratings and incumbency advantage.
Whether Shapiro’s decisive win translates into a mandate for his governing agenda in Harrisburg over the next four years remains unknown, with much of it riding on whether Democrats succeed in a long-running quest to seize both chambers of the state legislature. The state House has been narrowly controlled by Democrats since 2022; while the Senate has been dominated by Republicans, who stymied key aspects of Shapiro’s platform in his first term.
Libertarian Ken Krawchuk also appeared on the ballot for governor.
Despite the uncertainty around the makeup of the legislature, Shapiro appeared elated at his victory party Tuesday at a hotel outside Harrisburg.
“This is a good night for our commonwealth,” Shapiro said to cheers.
“Tonight, the people have spoken,” he said. “They want us to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. They want us to build more housing and strengthen our infrastructure. They want us to invest in our kids, our cops and our communities. And they want us to enshrine abortion rights for women in the constitution of this commonwealth.”
Garrity took the stage at her own election night party at a Wyoming County golf course a little before 9 p.m. and said she had called Shapiro to congratulate him on his “hard-fought victory.”
“Tonight, I wish the governor and his team my sincere best, as we all should, you guys,” Garrity told her supporters. “Because his success is our success.”
She added, “It is my hope that the campaign we’ve run, the issues we've addressed and the solutions that we presented are a reminder to him that Pennsylvania just doesn't deserve, but needs, a full-time chief executive.”
In the waning days of the race, Shapiro barnstormed the state with Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, traveling to more than two dozen counties by bus to trumpet his first-term accomplishments — but also to stump for fellow down-ballot Democrats, including those in several competitive races in Pennsylvania that could help decide control of Congress.
The next four years of a Shapiro administration are in some ways hard to predict.
They will likely feature efforts by his administration to push through initiatives that failed in his first term, but that effort will be indelibly shaped by the balance of power in the legislature.
Legislative Democrats have widely pitched themselves to voters this year as allies to Shapiro who are dedicated to clearing the GOP from obstructing his vision for the commonwealth.
Garrity, tapped for the nomination early by the GOP to prevent a competitive primary, ran a campaign largely on offense against Shapiro. The decorated Army Reserve veteran also ran on a pro-fossil fuel platform she promised would help spur the state’s economy.
At Garrity’s Wyoming County party, supporters mostly did not react as the race was called.
By the end of Shapiro’s second term, Democrats will have controlled the governor’s office for 16 years. The last time the same party controlled the executive for that long was between 1939 and 1955, with Republican governors.
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