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Incumbent Republican Stacy Garrity wins reelection in Pa. treasurer race

The Republican incumbent defeated Democratic challenger Erin McClelland.

Stacy Garrity, treasurer of Pennsylvania, at a candidate’s forum in West Chester in Septebmer.
Stacy Garrity, treasurer of Pennsylvania, at a candidate’s forum in West Chester in Septebmer.Read moreTom Gralish / Staff Photographer

Incumbent Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity retained her position, holding off a challenge from Democrat Erin McClelland.

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.

The Pennsylvania state treasurer is the fiscal watchdog for state assets, the custodian of more than $150 billion in commonwealth funds.

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. 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 2023.

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. In her comments, McClelland referenced a sexual harassment scandal involving a former aide of Shapiro’s.

“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 the treasurer’s race in what was seen as a break from political tradition.