Garrity\u2019s appearance in Allentown comes as polls show Democratic incumbent Josh Shapiro is heavily favored to win the general election.<\/p>\n
According to the New York Times,<\/a> most political polls favor him over Garrity by between 16 to 22 points. Shapiro also maintains a relatively strong approval rating in the Commonwealth, with 62% of Pennsylvanians approving of his performance as governor, per a February Morning Consult poll.<\/a><\/p>\n But Garrity made the case that change is needed in Pennsylvania, citing statistics like low levels of student academic achievement and the state\u2019s budget deficit: The Commonwealth relied on surplus funds to balance the 2025-26 state budget because its spending outpaces its revenue by billions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason I\u2019m running, first, is because Pennsylvania is at a crossroads, and we have to decide the kind of state that we want to be,\u201d Garrity said.<\/p>\n As governor, Garrity said she would implement \u201cschool choice\u201d vouchers which allows public funds to go toward private and charter schools; fast track permitting for natural gas and pipeline production and roll back some government regulation of businesses and development.<\/p>\n Garrity is a U.S. Army Reserves veteran who was deployed three times before reaching her mandatory retirement date in 2017 after 30 years of service. She served as a military police officer and reached the rank of colonel.<\/p>\n She also worked for Global Tungsten & Powders Corp. for over 30 years, rising to vice president before running successfully for state treasurer in 2020, upsetting Democratic incumbent Joe Torsella. She won re-election in 2024, and announced her intent to run for governor last year.<\/p>\n Garrity has touted an endorsement from Trump and aligned herself closely with the 47th president, featuring a photo of herself and Trump prominently on her campaign website.<\/p>\n She made headlines this week for vowing to veto a bill legalizing marijuana statewide if it were to come before her desk as governor. She doubled down on her stance Tuesday, saying that marijuana is a \u201cgateway drug\u201d and she believes legalizing it is not the solution to the government\u2019s budget issues.<\/p>\n \u201cI think as far as the marijuana goes, nobody wants our kids to have access to marijuana,\u201d Garrity said. \u201cI mean, their brains aren\u2019t fully formulated and it is a gateway drug. I think there\u2019s other ways to address the revenue problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Shapiro is in favor of legalizing marijuana in Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n Kurtz said that he has reached out to the governor\u2019s Lehigh Valley office to invite him on the podcast.<\/p>\n Asked for comment on Garrity\u2019s visit, Shapiro\u2019s campaign spokesperson Sam Reposa said that Shapiro is focused on supporting down-ballot Democrats in the May 19 primary election, including congressional candidate Bob Brooks, who is vying for the Democratic nomination in the Lehigh Valley\u2019s 7th District. Both Shapiro and Garrity are unopposed in their party\u2019s primaries.<\/p>\n![\"Rabbi](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/TMC-L-Stacygarritty_2-1.jpg\")
Rabbi Moshe Kurtz interviews state treasurer and Republican gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity for Kurtz\u2019s \u201cAs I Walk Through the Valley\u201d podcast Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at Congregation Sons of Israel synagogue in Allentown. (April Gamiz\/The Morning Call)<\/p>\n