November 03, 2026
Jasper Colt/USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was reelected Tuesday, defeating Republican challenger and state treasurer Stacy Garrity. Above, Shapiro speaks during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 2024.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro cruised to reelection in Tuesday's midterms, defeating Republican state treasurer Stacy Garrity in a race the Associated Press called minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m.
The AP called the race with Shapiro commanding 85.4% of the vote with only 3% of ballots counted. As of 11:45 p.m., Shapiro had 60.1% of the vote to Garrity's 38.6%. All results are unofficial until certified by election officials.
The governor's race energized voters on an array of hot-button issues, from data center development to the state's measles outbreak.
Democrats are measuring Shapiro's win as part of a broader blue wave sought in state and national races. An unfavorable backdrop for Republicans nationally could yield strong gains for Democrats, who hope to win a trifecta in state government for the first time in more than three decades. Around 10:30 p.m., CBS News projected that Democrats have won control of the U.S. House. About an hour later, the Associated Press projected that Democrats won control of the U.S. Senate.
"The results are still rolling in, but the picture is starting to come into focus," Shapiro told supporters during a victory speech Tuesday night at the Penn Harris Hotel and Convention Center in Harrisburg. "This is a good night for our Commonwealth, and it's looking like it could be a pretty good night for our country, too."
Democrats entered Tuesday with a 103-100 majority in the state House. Republicans held a 27-23 edge in the Senate, where Democrats need a net gain of three seats to take control. As of 11:45 p.m., Democrats held a 22-17 edge in the race to 25 seats in the state Senate and a 98-39 lead in the race for 102 seats in the state House.
Shapiro praised Democratic leaders and organizers for mobilizing in races across the state, and he thanked Pennsylvania voters for turning out to deliver a bigger statement nationally.
"You used your power," Shapiro said. "You not only entrusted me with the opportunity to continue to serve as your governor. You did your part to help change the very trajectory of this country."
Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and businesswoman from Bradford County, will continue serving her second term as state treasurer. She ran for governor with an endorsement from President Donald Trump and spent much of her campaign casting doubt on Shapiro's political ambitions as he sizes up an anticipated presidential run in 2028. Shapiro launched a federal PAC in October.
The gubernatorial race centered on questions of affordability, backlash against AI data centers and a host of unresolved issues from education funding to gaming reform, energy policy and investments in public transportation.
Shapiro campaigned on plans for targeted tax cuts, a nearly $3 billion boost in education funding and the expansion of affordable housing initiatives in Pennsylvania, among other goals. A blue wave in the midterms would give his agenda a jolt of momentum in a second term. Democrats have not held the governor's office, state House and state Senate since 1993. Several of Shapiro's first-term goals — including long-term funding for mass transit, marijuana legalization and raising the state's minimum wage — were hampered by partisan battles and budget stalemates in the legislature.
"I know you want a government that reflects the basic desires that we all share," Shapiro said Tuesday. "Good schools for our kids, safe neighborhoods, a job that pays you for your hard work ... a faith that if we play it straight and treat each other right, things should get better."
Republicans have not won a gubernatorial race in Pennsylvania since Tom Corbett was elected in 2011, and the party has struggled to field competitive candidates in each of the last four elections. Garrity's campaign emphasized lowering utility costs, cutting taxes and balancing the state budget. She also called for increasing natural gas production, expanding public school alternatives and enacting new voter identification requirements.
Shapiro held a massive fundraising advantage over Garrity throughout the 2026 gubernatorial race. Going back to the start of 2025, he reported more than $63.7 million in total contributions compared with $10.6 million in contributions to Garrity, according to City & State Pennsylvania.
A New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena University poll of likely Pennsylvania voters found 61% either "strongly approve" or "somewhat approve" of the way Shapiro has handled his job as governor.
Shapiro, who cast his ballot Tuesday morning at an elementary school in Abington Township, said he expects the midterms to mark a new chapter for Democrats in Harrisburg, Washington and across the country.
"Our victories tonight, up and down the ballot, are because we organized together, we mobilized together, and we believed in one another," Shapiro said.
Shapiro also portrayed Tuesday's midterms as a rejection of the country's path under Republican leadership.
"You declared that you could not be more ready for an end of this ruthless chaos and cruelty, and this rampant corruption that raises our costs and rattles our conscience," the governor told his supporters in Harrisburg.
For up-to-date results of every race in Pennsylvania's midterm elections, visit the state site here.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
