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(The Center Square) - Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro won a second term Tuesday, defeating Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity in a campaign that centered on Pennsylvania’s economy, energy policies and the direction of state government.
It was a quick and resounding defeat, just two years after she broke electoral records garnering the most votes of any statewide candidate.
The outcome followed a final campaign stretch in which Garrity and running mate, Pittsburgh attorney Jason Richey, embarked on a statewide tour promoting their "Turn PA Around" agenda, while Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis launched a 29-county bus tour supporting Democratic candidates up and down the ballot.
The Associated Press called the race for Shapiro shortly after the polls closed. Early returns, with 5% of the votes counted, showed Shapiro leading Garrity 83% to 15%.
Shortly afterward, Garrity and Richey arrived at Stone Hedge Country Club in Tunkhannock, where Garrity told her supporters she had spoken with the governor to congratulate him on a hard-fought victory.
Although the results were not what they had hoped for, Garrity said her heart was full of gratitude as she thanked her campaign team, her family, and supporters for their efforts.
She wished Shapiro success in his second term but reiterated her campaign's criticism of his leadership.
"Tonight, I wish the governor and his team, my sincere best, as we all should, you guys, because his success is our success," said Garrity. "And 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."
"Pennsylvania's best days are ahead of us, and that is not because of any politician of any party - it's because of our people," she said.
Earlier in the evening, supporter Dwayne McDavitt, who was there with members of his group, Bikers for Trump, told The Center Square he has known Garrity for 12 years and supported her since her first campaign for treasurer.
He praised Garrity's 30-year military career and leadership, citing her positions on school choice and data centers as reasons to support her candidacy.
"She is s true leader, and that's what Pennsylvania needs," he said.
Charles Harris, a 95-year-old Korean War Navy veteran from Mill City, said he hoped Garrity would follow through on her promises, although decades of watching politics had left him skeptical.
"I'm sick and tired of everybody," he told The Center Square, adding that when he went to vote that day, he asked poll workers, "How do we vote everybody out and start over again?"
A former lifelong Democrat who said he switched parties when he voted for Donald Trump, Harris criticized highway spending, raised concerns about political corruption and vote buying, and said he'd like to see the Civilian Conservation Corps, a federal public work relief program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1933, revived.
For Harris, it comes down to hope and accountability. "So, I hope she follows through and does what she said. That's the main thing," he said.
While Garrity's supporters had hoped for a change in leadership in Harrisburg, Tuesday's election appeared to deliver a far different outcome, with Democrats poised to gain control of both chambers of the General Assembly - giving Shapiro the trifecta he sought.
Early Wednesday morning, Shapiro took to social media to celebrate the apparent shift in legislative control.
"Pennsylvanians just came together to flip the State Senate for the first time in over THREE DECADES - delivering a Democratic trifecta that's ready to raise the minimum wage, codify reproductive freedom, invest in mass transit, and so much more."