HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Ken Krawchuk (L) is running for governor for a fourth time, but has never received more than 50,000 votes. He believes he can win this year in the race against Governor Josh Shapiro (D) and State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R) with a message of personal and economic freedom.
“I can win. If you crunch the numbers, take a look at it, right now the Democrats and Republicans have disenfranchised so many people that this year only about 30%, 35%, maybe 40, crunch the numbers and you find out all it takes to secure a Libertarian victory is to attract the vote of one out of six voting age Pennsylvanians. One out of six can stop their tricks.”
Who is running for Governor of Pennsylvania?
Krawchuk says Libertarians are “doing the Golden Rule on the political level,” and one out of six Pennsylvanians is not registered one of the two major political party.
“So if all the Independents vote for me, in a competitive three-way race, I win.”
One of Krawchuk’s talking points is privatizing public schools, saying too many students are failing to read and do math at their grade level. He argues that instead of the state giving schools $11,000 per student, each student should get $11,000 in a savings account to pay for private school.
“If you like kids, send them to private school. If you don’t like kids, keep them where they are now.”
Krawchuk says his plan would eliminate property tax and meet the Constitutional mandate that education is funded fairly.
“Once you take away that $11,000 from the school districts and give it to the child, you can shut down the school districts, and when they’re shut down, their property tax goes away with them.”
Ken Krawchuk speaks as he participates in a Shutdown the Shutdown rally, at the home of State Representative Chris Rabb (D/PA-200), in the Mt Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia, PA on May 30, 2020. The rally organized by PA Montgomery County Libertarians plans to continue with several stops at homes of Democratic and Republican state lawmakers. (Photo by Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Krawchuk says his philosophies don’t line up with Shapiro or Garrity, and he’s only gaining votes, not taking them away from another candidate.
“We Libertarians are different than the two old parties because we are the party of principle. Every law we support or oppose goes back to one idea: the idea that your life is yours. That your property is yours. That you do have the right to live your life your way without interference, provided only that you respect the rights and property of others.”
Krawchuk is the only third party candidate on the November ballot after Tony Dastra of the Green Party was removed over the summer.
Election Day is Nov. 3, 2026. Pennsylvania voters have until Oct. 19 to register to vote and Oct. 27 to request a mail-in or absentee ballot. Polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., barring a judicial order.
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