Josh Shapiro clinches second term as governor in battleground Pennsylvania

Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) won his bid for reelection on Tuesday, dealing a blow to Republican challenger Stacy Garrity in Pennsylvania’s 2026 elections.Shapiro clinched a second term in the state’s governor’s mansion with 85.4% of the vote compared to Garrity’s 13.9%, as of 8:01 p.m. The result could boost Shapiro’s presidential ambitions as a leading possible contender in 2028 from one of the country’s most pivotal battleground states.The achievement demonstrates Shapiro’s ability to navigate a competitive political environment in Pennsylvania, a state President Donald Trump carried in 2016 and again in 2024, and where there are roughly 3.8 million registered Democrats compared to 3.6 million Republicans. As he courted voters in the swing state during his latest gubernatorial campaign, Shapiro at times sought to keep the tone light, leaning on widely admired entertainers and athletes for star power.Throughout the race, the incumbent governor held a significant edge over Garrity in terms of funding and name recognition, making it an uphill battle for the state treasurer, who was fighting to become the first Republican to lead Pennsylvania since 2010.One poll found that 1 in 4 GOP voters said they didn’t know Garrity, in contrast to only 3% of people not knowing the governor. Meanwhile, Shapiro raised $11.5 million more than Garrity over the summer, outspending her by nearly 23-to-1, according to PhillyVoice.During the campaign, Shapiro and Garrity split on a number of issues, including data centers, taxes, and education.Garrity favored expanding school choice, while Shapiro, who despite backing such policies in the past, vetoed a measure expanding private school voucher programs in 2023 after facing intense pressure from Democrats.The Republican also called for a pause on data center development, while Shapiro steered clear of such a demand, instead emphasizing local control around decisions about where data centers should be placed.READ THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER’S COVERAGE OF THE 2026 MIDTERM ELECTIONSGarrity challenged Shapiro’s handling of state finances, including his use of Pennsylvania’s rainy day fund to cover budget deficits, while the governor slammed the idea of leaving “$8 billion sitting here in Harrisburg as opposed to being invested in the good people of Pennsylvania.”Garrity called for cutting the state’s personal income tax rate below its current 3.07% rate, promised to eliminate Pennsylvania’s inheritance tax, and pledged to roll back or eliminate the state’s 5.9% gross receipts tax on utilities, none of which Shapiro favored.