Incumbent Republican Stacy Garrity faces Democrat Erin McClelland in Pa. treasurer race

Incumbent Republican Stacy Garrity and Democrat Erin McClelland are vying for state treasurer during Tuesday’s election, a job that’s essentially the Commonwealth’s CFO. Nevertheless, to drum up interest and support, the two have been arguing during this campaign season about the Israel-Hamas war as well as the 2020 election, and former President Donald Trump.

The Pennsylvania state treasurer is the fiscal watchdog for state assets. The custodian of more than $150 billion in commonwealth funds, the treasurer is responsible for the receipt and deposit of state monies and oversight of all withdrawals and deposits from state agencies. The treasurer has the power to invest up to $50 billion in state money, Garrity said in an interview. Serving as the state’s banker, the treasurer is also responsible for reuniting citizens with what is now around $4.5 billion in unclaimed state property. The treasurer can serve a maximum of two four-year terms.

Garrity, 60, was first elected in 2020 after defeating Democratic incumbent Joe Torsella in an upset. She became the first Republican in 16 years to hold the office.

On her website, Garrity describes herself as the “Angel of the Desert,” a nickname she got while serving in Iraq in the U.S. Army Reserve in 2004, according to National Public Radio. There, she oversaw a camp of Iraqi war prisoners. None lodged any complaints of abuse, and Garrity was a humane custodian, according to NPR, thereby earning her the sobriquet.

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One of the main talking points of her campaign was her assertion that she set a new one-year record returning nearly $274 million in unclaimed property to more than 174,000 Pennsylvania citizens in the fiscal year ending June of 2023.

McClelland, 49, is a Harrison Township, Allegheny County, businesswoman who’s worked in substance abuse and mental health counseling.

Unendorsed by the state Democratic establishment in the primaries, McClelland ran afoul of leaders in her own party, after endorsing North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. McClelland referenced a sexual harassment scandal involving a former aide of Shapiro’s.

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“I want a VP pick that’s secure enough to be second under a woman, is content to be VP & won’t undermine the President to maneuver his own election & doesn’t sweep sexual harassment under the rug,” McClelland wrote on X in July.

Soon after McClelland’s post, Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman Sharif Street said he was “offended” by her comments. The matter had created significant tensions between McClelland and Shapiro, who did not endorse a candidate in treasurer’s race in what was seen as a break from political tradition.