Pennsylvania\u2019s race for governor is heating up, with Gov. Josh Shapiro and Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the GOP nominee, both unleashing new attack ads on Friday that highlighted the intensifying nature of the 2026 race.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In new TV ads released on Friday, Shapiro\u2019s campaign linked Garrity to President Donald Trump, referring to her as \u201c100% MAGA\u201d \u2013 while Garrity\u2019s ad elevated the growing discontent with data centers across Pennsylvania, accusing Shapiro of selling the state out to data center developers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shapiro\u2019s ad \u2013 titled \u201c100% MAGA\u201d \u2013 includes clips of Trump and conservative state Sen. Doug Mastriano voicing support for Garrity, while also highlighting past comments<\/a> from Garrity supporting Trump\u2019s imposition of tariffs.<\/p>\n \n In the ad, a narrator states that Garrity is \u201call MAGA all the time.\u201d The narrator adds: \u201cShe called Trump’s tariffs fantastic, even though costs are skyrocketing. Garrity said Congress should pass Trump’s cuts to nursing homes and health care ASAP. And as governor, Garrity will put Trump’s agenda ahead of Pennsylvania.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Garrity\u2019s campaign accused the Shapiro campaign of putting out \u201ca dishonest, lying attack\u201d ad, noting that Garrity recently told reporters<\/a> that she would \u201cprobably do the tariffs a little bit differently.\u201d<\/p>\n Garrity\u2019s ad \u2013 titled \u201cSold Us Out\u201d \u2013 zeroes in on Shapiro\u2019s support for certain data center projects in the commonwealth, including a $20 billion investment by Amazon to build two data center campuses in the state.<\/p>\n \n \u201cJosh Shapiro\u2019s data center scandal keeps growing,\u201d a narrator says in Garrity\u2019s ad. \u201cFirst, Shapiro handed Amazon a fortune in tax credits to build a data center here without any community input. Then Shapiro fast-tracked building permits, also without community input, and Shapiro said he\u2019s putting even more data centers in our backyards. Now we know why. Shapiro pocketed over $5 million in political contributions from out-of-state data center developers.\u201d<\/p>\n The $5 million figure referenced by Garrity\u2019s campaign includes contributions from a range of individuals with ties to tech and AI, though not all are data center developers. The sum includes $3 million from Jennifer Duda, the wife of Arista Networks President Kenneth Duda, whose company manufactures hardware and networking software for data centers. Shapiro also received more than $2 million from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, who has launched multiple AI startups, as well as a smaller $100,000 contribution from NorthPoint Development.<\/p>\n Shapiro\u2019s tone on data center development has shifted<\/a> amid growing concerns from Pennsylvania residents about a deluge of data center proposals<\/a> across the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n After previously stating that Pennsylvania was \u201call in on AI\u201d<\/a> following the Amazon announcement, Shapiro more recently announced new standards<\/a> that data center developers will need to meet to earn faster permitting approvals and other state tax benefits. This week, the governor criticized the handling of a data center proposal in Conshohocken, where local officials say a developer has intimidated and bullied the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n