Public polling on the race shows Shapiro with a sizable lead: A Franklin & Marshall College poll<\/a> released in late August showed Shapiro with a 25-point advantage, while another August poll<\/a> from The New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena University had Shapiro holding a 16-point edge over the Republican nominee. Prediction markets also favor Shapiro, with Kalshi traders giving Shapiro a 97% chance<\/a> of winning reelection as of mid-September.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ultimately, voters will make the final decision, and both candidates have been crisscrossing the state to make their case to voters. With little more than a month to go until Election Day on Nov. 3, City & State has put together a comprehensive guide to this year\u2019s race for governor and what it means for the commonwealth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Meet the candidates<\/p>\n A native of Montgomery County, Shapiro has had a lengthy career in public service. He was elected governor in 2022, defeating GOP state Sen. Doug Mastriano by a 14-point margin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Prior to his time in the governor\u2019s office, Shapiro served as the state\u2019s attorney general, a position he held from 2017 until he took office as governor in 2023. During his time as AG, Shapiro routinely challenged policies enacted by President Donald Trump\u2019s administration and oversaw a landmark grand jury investigation<\/a> that revealed widespread instances of child sexual abuse within the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shapiro also spent five years as a Montgomery County commissioner, and served four terms in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.During his tenure as governor, Shapiro has built a national profile, including making 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris\u2019 shortlist of running mates and emerging as a potential presidential contender in 2028.\u00a0<\/p>\n A Bradford County native, Garrity was first elected treasurer in November 2020, when she upset incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella. She was reelected to the office in 2024 and made history when she secured 3,542,336 votes \u2013 the most votes any Pennsylvania candidate has ever received in a statewide election.<\/p>\n She is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel<\/a> and has been deployed overseas three times: in 1991\u2019s Operation Desert Storm, in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom and in 2008 for Operation Enduring Freedom. Garrity has received the Bronze Star twice for exceptional service and also received a Legion of Merit before retiring.\u00a0<\/p>\n During her time in Iraq, Garrity was one of several officers in charge of the Camp Bucca internment camp in Southern Iraq, at a time when images of U.S.-run detention centers raised questions about internment camp conditions in the country. However, Garrity earned the nickname \u201cthe Angel of the Desert\u201d for her work and perfect record at the camp.\u00a0<\/p>\n Record rundown<\/p>\n The duties of the governor and state treasurer vary considerably, but both candidates running in this year\u2019s gubernatorial race have accomplishments to tout on the campaign trail.\u00a0<\/p>\n Shapiro has signed a wide range of bills into law throughout his first term, including legislation<\/a> to establish an insurance coverage framework for telemedicine services, a bill repealing the state\u2019s Sunday hunting ban<\/a>, and a new law<\/a> that bars the use of cell phones and mobile devices while driving. The governor has also signed executive orders rolling back degree requirements<\/a> for state jobs, imposing stricter standards<\/a> on data center development and streamlining the processes for obtaining state licenses and permits.<\/p>\n Some of Shapiro\u2019s biggest wins have come as part of annual state budgets, where he\u2019s secured increased funding for public schools, an expansion of a state-level property tax relief program, a new tax credit<\/a> for working-class Pennsylvanians and a cost-of-living adjustment for state pensioners<\/a>.<\/p>\n The governor has also been a major advocate for economic development projects in Pennsylvania, including several billion-dollar investment deals from Amazon<\/a>, Eli Lilly<\/a> and Chobani<\/a>.<\/p>\n Garrity, meanwhile, has focused heavily on returning unclaimed property to Pennsylvanians, and has returned more than $1 billion in unclaimed property during her time as treasurer.\u00a0<\/p>\n Garrity has also ushered in reforms to the state\u2019s PA 529 College and Career Savings Program, which helps families save for future college and career education expenses. Garrity has reduced and waived fees for PA 529 plans on multiple occasions<\/a>, and the state has received a \u201cGold\u201d rating from Morningstar for its 529 plans over the last three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The incumbent treasurer has also touted her rate cuts for the PA ABLE Savings Program, which is a savings plan that allows individuals with disabilities to keep their means-tested benefits.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Shapiro](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-2276793710-inline.jpg\")
\nShapiro has held an advantage over Garrity in public polling and in fundraising in the 2026 election cycle. Photo credit:\u00a0Aimee Dilger\/SOPA Images\/LightRocket via Getty Images<\/p>\n![\"Prior](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/30017_treas_unclaimedProperty_JF_024.jpg\")
\nPrior to her election as state treasurer, Garrity served in the military and had a stint in the private sector. Photo credit: Commonwealth Media Services<\/p>\n