Next year’s race for governor between incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro and his GOP challenger Stacy Garrity is heating up after Garrity earned the state Republican Party endorsement.
As Pennsylvania turns the page on the presidential cycle until 2028, the political spotlight shifts back home. A busy election calendar looms, with judicial, legislative, and gubernatorial contests reshaping the state’s balance of power.
First up: the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. On November 4, 2025, Justices Christine Donohue, David Wecht, and Kevin M. Dougherty will face retention votes. Should any fail, Gov. Josh Shapiro would appoint a temporary replacement—though only with approval from the Republican-controlled Senate.
In the state legislature, all 203 seats in the House will be on the ballot in 2026. Cumberland County’s delegation includes Republicans Thomas Kutz (87th District), Sheryl M. Delozier (88th), Torren Ecker (193rd), and Democrat Nathan Davidson (103rd), all seeking another term. Over in the Senate, Greg Rothman, a Republican from the 34th District, will also defend his seat as part of 25 races that could shift the chamber’s narrow Republican majority.
At the top of the ticket, Shapiro himself will run for reelection in 2026. His most prominent challenger so far is State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, already in the race and seen as the GOP frontrunner. Meanwhile, State Sen. Doug Mastriano has hinted he might jump in.
Shapiro has recently made headlines for taking a more aggressive stance against political violence than other leading voices in the Democrat Party. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Shapiro told NBC’s Meet the Press that it was incumbent on all Americans to “universally condemn political violence” and “find our better angels.” He said the nation was “at an inflection point” after discussing a number of politically motivated attacks this year.
Shapiro has been touting a “Get Stuff Done” agenda, an effort to “put politics aside” and focus on issues and policies that benefit all Pennsylvanians, such as efforts to bring AI and energy industry investments to Western Pennsylvania.
However, Shapiro has been sharply criticized by Republican legislators in Harrisburg for failing to live up to that agenda by playing politics with public transit funding in the state budget.
Garrity is the presumptive Republican nominee to take on Shapiro. She recently received the official endorsement of the state’s Republican Party. Since being sworn in as State Treasurer, Garrity has not slowed down from the campaign. She has been crisscrossing the state attending annual county GOP picnics and throwing out the first pitches at minor league baseball games. As Treasurer, Garrity lead the efforts to reform the state’s Public School Employees’ Retirement System and return millions of dollars in unclaimed funds to Pennsylvanians.
The congressional map tells its own story. Every Pennsylvania House member is up in 2026, though the Cook Political Report pegs most races as safe. Two districts—PA-7, held by Republican Ryan Mackenzie, and PA-10, held by Republican Scott Perry—are rated as tossups. Perry faces a primary challenge from Josh Hall, while Democrats are lining up in both districts. In PA-7, the field includes Bob Brooks, Ryan Crosswell, Lamont McClure, Carol Obando-Derstine, and Mark Pinsley. In PA-10, Justin Douglas and Janelle Stelson are declared, joined by Independent Isabelle Harman.
