Stacy Garrity is the underdog in the 2026 race for Pennsylvania governor against well-funded incumbent Democrat Gov. Josh Shapiro. But she’s been there before, Garrity told a crowd at a conservative grassroots group Americans for Prosperity (AFP) event at the National Constitution Center Thursday evening.
She was not predicted to win her first race for state Treasurer in 2020 against incumbent Joe Torsella, who outspent her eleven-to-one.
“I quickly figured out I was the sacrificial lamb,” said Garrity. “I just worked and went to everything. I worked as hard as I could. And we kicked it out.”
Garrity, whom President Trump recently endorsed, was among the guests the Ruthless Podcast members interviewed at the Constitution Center as part of AFP’s “One Small Step,” a yearlong celebration of America’s 250th birthday.
Before running for Treasurer in 2020, Garrity had never been involved in politics. She spent 30 years in the Army Reserves, serving in Operation Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom, retiring as a colonel. While commanding Camp Bucca, a detention facility in Iraq, she earned the nickname “Angel of the Desert” for her fair treatment of prisoners.
“Serving was and is the honor of my lifetime,” said Garrity.
In the private sector, Garrity worked at Global Tungsten & Powders, where she eventually became a vice president.
“Somebody watching government spending has experience in the private sector? Imagine that,” said Josh Holmes of Ruthless.
“I had never been involved in politics,” said Garrity. “You can’t do that in the military.” She was asked to run for the statewide office, but Garrity hails from Bradford County, and no one from a rural county had won a statewide office in more than 40 years, so she was hesitant. She asked the Tungsten CEO about running for treasurer, telling him there was a “99 percent chance” she’d lose but he told her she would win and she did.
“I am the fiscal watchdog for over $180 billion,” she said. “What elected officials need to understand is we work for the people. They don’t work for us.”
“Every single dollar of the $180 billion came from the taxpayers, so we need to treat it like it’s our own,” said Garrity. During her tenure, she’d given back more than $1 billion to taxpayers through her unclaimed property program, and 550 military decorations, including 50 Purple Hearts.
Asked how she fights a culture of self-serving politicians and bureaucrats, Garrity said, “I treat the office like it’s a business and make sure everybody there is focused on serving hardworking Pennsylvanians.”
She noted that Shapiro’s recent budget, which passed four and a half months late, is $50 billion, up from $30 billion ten years ago. That budget also spends $5 billion more than the revenue the state receives, she said.
“Families need to live within their means, and guess what? The state should be doing the same,” said Garrity.
Afterward, Garrity answered a few questions from the press.
Asked about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minnesota and whether the agency should withdraw, Garrity said, “I think it’s always good to cooperate with ICE, especially when they’re doing targeted actions. I thought Tom Holman’s remarks were spot on…He’s a career law enforcement, his only mission is basically to do the job. And he wants safe communities. He said it best: to cooperate, take down rhetoric. We want safe communities.”
Holman recently replaced Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino in Minnesota, after weeks of protests led to the deaths of two people.
“That’s the most important job as a governor, to make sure we have safe communities,” Garrity said. “So, I don’t think it’s helpful to not cooperate. I have a military police background for over 30 years, so I have a different perspective. We need cooperation at every level of law enforcement.”
Asked about the shootings, she said, she would withhold judgment until the results of the investigations were in. Shapiro, meanwhile, said there is a “strong case” for charging the Customs and Border Protection officer who shot Alex Pretti with voluntary manslaughter.
Broad + Liberty asked Garrity about Shapiro’s out-of-state book tour while Pennsylvania was buried in a once-in-a-decade snowstorm, with Philadelphia and Pittsburgh struggling to clear their streets.
“I can tell you where I was, I was in Harrisburg,” said Garrity. “It was shut down, even on Tuesday. My office was at work.”
“I don’t think it’s a good look to be on a book tour, using taxpayer dollars to do it,” she said. Asked whether Shapiro might be using his campaign funds, she said, “He still has a security detail and all of his media people. I don’t think it’s a great look while we’re under a state of emergency, when they had to shut down one of the warming locations in Philadelphia [for a library book tour event]. It was cold, and people probably needed shelter.”
The Ruthless Podcast also interviewed Ron Jaworski, to the delight of the Eagles fans in the audience.
Jaworski, 74, spoke about leadership.
Jaworski’s values came from his hardworking parents and he praised America for giving him a chance to succeed. He was the first in his family to go to college. He retired from football in 1990 and started a successful golf course business.
“If you lead yourself, you can do great things,” Jaworski said. “Other people see you doing great things. They want to replicate what you’ve done. It all boils down to leadership…You’ve got to set the tempo and make people work hard. There’s no easy way. There’s no shortcuts to success. You’ve got to work hard and pay the price. If you’re willing to do that, you can be successful.”
“I learned as a kid growing up. I learned as an NFL quarterback. I played seventeen years, not only here in Philadelphia,” he said.
“I realized if you don’t give every single ounce of effort every single day, you don’t have a chance,” said Jaworski. “Someone always wants your job.”
His other advice is to have “good quality people” around you. He praised coach Dick Vermiel, “he made me an NFL quarterback. And now he’s become my best friend.”
Asked about the 1981 Super Bowl loss, he admitted, “It still hurts. I can’t let it go.”
“We were a young team,” he said. “We were a talented team.”
They thought, “We’ll get it next year,” but they never did.
“So, when you get that opportunity, you must seize the opportunity,” said Jaworski. “Because you may never get it back again.”
For America’s 250th anniversary, AFP and its sister organizations – Concerned Veterans for America and The LIBRE Initiative –hope to unite Americans by holding events around the country.
“We all have one thing in common: we love America,” said AFP CEO Emily Seidel. She called on people to “recommit to the founding principles that made our country so exceptional.”
Linda Stein is a Philadelphia-area reporter.