October 07, 2026
Eric Hartline (left), Judy D.J. Ellich/USA Today Network via Reuters Connect
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will debate Republican challenger Stacy Garrity on Wednesday night in Harrisburg with less than a month to go before the Nov. 3 election. The TV event will be their only debate.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican challenger Stacy Garrity will face off Wednesday night in their lone debate ahead of next month's gubernatorial election.
The one-hour debate will take place at 8 p.m. at WHTM Studios in Harrisburg. There will be no live audience, but it will be televised on several local stations statewide and can be streamed on their websites and YouTube channels. Viewers in the Philadelphia area can watch on PHL17. The debate will also air on ABC27 in Harrisburg, WBRE/WYOU in Scranton, WTAJ in Altoona, WPXI in Pittsburgh and WJET/WFXP in Erie.
Viewers can stream the full debate on PHL17's YouTube channel below.
As the Nov. 3 election nears, Shapiro holds major polling and fundraising advantages over Garrity, the state treasurer making her first run for governor. In an average of polls tracked by Real Clear Polling from Sept. 15 through Oct. 5, Shapiro held a 23.2-point lead over Garrity. Shapiro's campaign raised $13.3 million in the most recent reporting period over the summer while Garrity only brought in $1.8 million during the same timeframe.
A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday found 59% of likely voters support Shapiro's bid for a second term, compared with 34% who back Garrity. Among Democrats, 95% of those surveyed support Shapiro. About 79% of Republicans who took the survey said they support Garrity, while 17% support Shapiro.
The poll found 55% of likely voters have a favorable opinion of Shapiro, with about 56% saying they are either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in Pennsylvania. Shapiro's job approval rating stands at 63% with another 30% who disapprove and 7% who gave no opinion.
One of the key issues heading into the election is the expansion of AI data center projects across the state. In the Quinnipiac poll, 64% of likely voters said they think data centers will do more harm than good in Pennsylvania — including 80% of Democrats. Sentiments were more evenly split among Republicans with 44% believing data centers will be more beneficial and 40% saying they will do more harm than good. Among independents, 72% said they think data centers will do more harm than good.
Shapiro, who initially touted data centers as an economic driver in Pennsylvania, changed course last month with an executive order that limits developers from gaining quick approval for their projects and requires large facilities to provide their own power generation and cover related energy costs.
Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel, has made a similar reversal on data centers during her campaign for governor. She has called for more site restrictions, mandatory rules for climate protection and a pause on new project development until municipalities have had time to update zoning laws.
Despite receiving an endorsement from President Donald Trump, Garrity's name recognition among Pennsylvania Republicans remains low for a candidate seeking to unseat a popular incumbent. One in four GOP voters in the state said they didn't know about Garrity in a September poll conducted by the Inquirer, New York Times and Siena University. Garrity's platform calls for reducing taxes and state spending, promoting the natural gas industry and expanded voter identification requirements.
Shapiro, who is thought to be considering a presidential run in 2028, has said he would strive to boost public education funding, raise Pennsylvania's minimum wage and codify abortion rights during a second term as governor. He has spent much of his campaign boosting Democratic candidates in the legislature, where the party needs to flip four Republican-held seats to gain control of the Senate. Democrats have not held the trifecta of the governor's office and majorities in both chambers since 1993, and Shapiro's first term has seen partisan battles hamper some of his campaign promises and delay his budgets past their deadlines every year since he took office.
In the hours before the debate, Shapiro's campaign took aim at Garrity's relationship with Trump and past support she expressed for his claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Garrity recently repeated her skepticism about the integrity of that election, but said she would prefer to look forward. In a social media post Wednesday, she said she plans to highlight Shapiro's "failed record" on the debate stage and invited supporters to let her know what they most want to hear about during the event.
