Pennsylvania State Treasurer Stacy Garrity formally announced her bid for governor on 18 August, setting up a 2026 contest with incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro. The 61-year-old Republican, who first won statewide office in 2020 and was re-elected last year with a record vote total, said she entered the race because Shapiro has “failed the state” on energy, education and job creation. Garrity argued that Pennsylvania’s vast natural-gas reserves represent “billions of dollars in economic opportunity,” and aligned herself with former president Donald Trump’s call to expand domestic energy production. She also criticized Shapiro for missing the statutory deadline to enact the 2025–26 state budget, opposing broader school-choice initiatives and resisting legislation that would bar transgender athletes from girls’ sports. Shapiro, a former state attorney general elected governor in 2022, is seeking a second four-year term. Pennsylvania’s gubernatorial primary is scheduled for 19 May 2026, with the general election on 3 November 2026, promising an early test of voter sentiment in a swing state that backed Trump and elected Republican Dave McCormick to the U.S. Senate in 2024.