Erin McClelland for Pennsylvania state treasurer | Endorsement

The race for state treasurer features two women with strong convictions. Only one of them, however, is focused on fighting for the issues that matter to ordinary Pennsylvanians. That candidate, challenger Erin McClelland, has earned the Editorial Board’s endorsement.

Instead of being focused on the state’s pensions or ensuring a healthy general fund, incumbent Stacy Garrity only seems interested in what’s good for Donald Trump. Despite being elected to office on the same 2020 ballot, Garrity was a leading election denier, following the former president’s lead.

At a Jan. 5, 2021, Harrisburg rally to decertify Pennsylvania’s vote count, Garrity was the most senior Republican in the state to speak. Attendees gorged themselves on grievances, helping to set the stage for the violence at the U.S. Capitol a day later. Garrity helped stoke the fires that made Pennsylvania a top state of origin among those arrested after the Jan. 6 riot.

State Sen. Doug Mastriano, who also spoke at the Harrisburg rally, used campaign funds to transport many of these Pennsylvanians to Washington, D.C., on a chartered bus. He attended the Jan. 6 rally, coming close to entering the Capitol himself. Two years later, Garrity tried to make Mastriano Pennsylvania’s governor.

Garrity declined to meet with this board to answer questions.

Regardless, the incumbent’s undermining of the state’s free and fair elections disqualifies her from holding public office. The treasurer — the fiscal watchdog and caretaker of more than $150 billion in state funds — must deal in hard facts and numbers, and Pennsylvanians simply cannot afford to have someone in that position who does not accept reality. Voters should reject giving Garrity another term.

Democrat McClelland readily accepts the election results — and displays a temperament that should appeal across party lines. She has a nuanced understanding of conservative voters, given her long history in Western Pennsylvania, where many working-class and traditionally Democratic towns and regions have shifted toward the Republican Party.

Unlike Garrity, McClelland, a small-business owner who has worked as a substance abuse and mental health counselor, has demonstrated independence from her party. She challenged and defeated the anointed challenger in the Democratic primary. She also cites Paul O’Neill as a mentor, the former president and CEO of Pittsburgh-based Alcoa who served as U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under George W. Bush, but whose outspoken nature and criticism of administration policy led to an early departure.

During an interview with the Editorial Board, McClelland said she’s not disappointed by her level of party support, citing Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street as particularly helpful. Still, McClelland also said she has yet to talk to Gov. Josh Shapiro. If the state’s treasury is to function as effectively as possible, that needs to change.

On issues under the treasury’s purview, McClelland understands what is in Pennsylvania’s best financial interest.

Like Garrity and the last Democratic treasurer, Joe Torsella, McClelland pledged to support using index funds, rather than high-priced Wall Street firms, for the state’s pensions. Additionally, she has substantive criticism of the Keystone Saves retirement savings program, which was part of what prompted her to run.

Unlike past state treasurers, whose ambition for higher office sometimes led to an overly cozy relationship with financial institutions, McClelland has a healthy skepticism of big banks and big money. She’ll need it.

While some Pennsylvania treasurers — like U.S. Sen. Bob Casey — have used the position as a springboard to higher office, others like Rob McCord, Budd Dwyer, and Barbara Hafer offer cautionary tales for how the office’s independence can enable misconduct and corruption.

When it comes to whom voters should trust to watch over the commonwealth’s money, the answer is clear: Erin McClelland is the best choice.

» READ MORE: The Inquirer’s 2024 General Election Endorsement Guide