8 things to know about Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity

After months of speculation – and teases – about a potential gubernatorial bid, Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity announced Monday that she will be running for governor in 2026, challenging  Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro in next fall’s election.

In an announcement posted to social media, Garrity lambasted Shapiro over his political ambition and the state’s ongoing budget impasse, stressing that she will “work hard every day to fix the problems Josh Shapiro has created.” Garrity’s campaign launch comes a little over a month after GOP Congressman Dan Meuser revealed he would not seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2026.

With the 2026 gubernatorial race beginning to take shape, City & State has 8 things you should know about Pennsylvania’s newest candidate for governor, Stacy Garrity.

She received more votes in 2024 than anyone in Pennsylvania history

A Bradford County native, Garrity made history last year when she won reelection, with 3,542,336 votes – the most votes any Pennsylvania candidate has received in a statewide election. Garrity beat Democrat Erin McClelland, who received a little more than 3.1 million votes, to win a second term in the treasurer’s office. 

The previous record-holder for the most votes received in a statewide election was none other than Shapiro, who set the previous record during his gubernatorial win in 2022. 

She has served as treasurer since 2021

Garrity was first elected treasurer in November 2020, when she upset Democrat Joe Torsella, the incumbent treasurer at the time. She was reelected to the office in 2024, and said earlier this year that she wanted to continue building on her work returning unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians.  

“It has been a profound honor to serve the hardworking Pennsylvanians who put their trust in me, and there’s nothing I want more than to continue the momentum we have built at Treasury,” Garrity said during her swearing-in ceremony this year, which featured an appearance from Shapiro.

She’s known as ‘the Angel of the Desert’

A retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, Garrity has been deployed overseas three times: in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm, in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and in 2008 for Operation Enduring Freedom. Garrity has received the Bronze Star twice for exceptional service and also received a Legion of Merit before retiring. 

During her time in Iraq, Garrity was one of several officers in charge of the Camp Bucca internment camp in Southern Iraq, at a time when images of U.S.-run detention centers raised questions about internment camp conditions in the country. However, Garrity was nicknamed “the Angel of the Desert” due to her work and perfect record at the camp. 

In 2004, NPR reported that Garrity handled detainee processing and family visitations and served as a Red Cross liaison at Camp Bucca; her other responsibilities included setting up a post office system and providing soccer balls for detainees. The outlet reported that Garrity earned the affection of the Iraqi prisoners, with detainees giving Garrity gifts and thank-you cards when her assignment ended. 

Her announcement rips Shapiro for state budget, scandal and ambition 

Garrity’s gubernatorial announcement didn’t hold back when it came to Shapiro and his first four years as governor. 

She accused Shapiro of being too focused on running for president and also said it’s “unconscionable” that schools could miss out on state payments due to the ongoing state budget impasse, which has left the commonwealth without a budget for nearly two months. “While Josh Shapiro has been spending his time running for president and fundraising in California and other liberal states – raising money from far-left megadonors like Bloomberg and Soros – critical problems in Pennsylvania have been ignored,” Garrity said.

She also hit Shapiro over a 2023 sexual harassment scandal that saw one of the governor’s top aides, Mike Vereb, leave the administration amid accusations of sexual harassment. “I will never embarrass Pennsylvania with scandals, unconscionable behavior, deleted emails and cover ups and a total lack of transparency like Shapiro has,” she added. 

She has made the return of unclaimed property a top priority

Garrity manages more than $170 billion in state assets as treasurer, and manages several major Treasury programs, including the PA 529 College & Career Savings Program, Keystone Scholars and the PA ABLE Savings Program.

One of Garrity’s chief priorities as treasurer has been to return unclaimed property – things like money, collectable coins, military medals and savings bonds – to Pennsylvanians. Garrity has returned more than $880 million in unclaimed property since taking office in 2021. 

She is an ally of President Donald Trump

Garrity is an ally of President Donald Trump and has spoken at several Trump events and rallies during her time in the political spotlight. 

In recent months, Garrity lent public support to Trump’s budget reconciliation bill, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Her Monday campaign announcement also linked her to the president: “Stacy Garrity is also a strong ally of President Trump, and like the president, supports protecting health care and welfare benefits for vulnerable Americans, while requiring able-bodied recipients to work for their benefits and ending benefits for those here illegally.”

On multiple occasions, Garrity has echoed unfounded claims that the 2020 presidential election, in which Democrat Joe Biden defeated Republican Donald Trump, was stolen, including during a 2022 Trump rally in Greensburg where she was invited on stage by Trump and said: “We know that he won.”

She has taken a hard stance against Chinese apps

Cybersecurity has been another major focus for Garrity; since taking office, she has taken several actions to prohibit Chinese-made apps from being used on Pennsylvania Treasury devices.

In February, Garrity banned the Chinese artificial intelligence platform DeepSeek from all Treasury devices, saying the measure would strengthen the department’s cybersecurity and protect sensitive information. That followed a similar move in December 2022 when Garrity banned TikTok, a decision she told City & State was made at the recommendation of the department’s chief information officer.

She is a vocal supporter of Israel

The two-term treasurer has emerged as one of Israel’s biggest supporters among statewide officials in Pennsylvania, and has put her money where her mouth is. Following the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack against Israel, Garrity increased the state’s investment in Israel bonds, investing an additional $20 million in the bonds, which she said are a “smart, dependable investment with a proven track record.”