Shapiro and Garrity clash on data centers, measles and federal spending in Pennsylvania's only 2026 governor debate

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and state Treasurer Stacy Garrity squared off Wednesday night in Harrisburg in the first and only scheduled debate of the 2026 gubernatorial race — and the first such debate the state has held since 2018 — trading sharp disagreements over a live measles outbreak, the AI data center boom, the 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' and school choice, ahead of the November 3 election.

The debate, hosted by Nexstar Media Group at the WHTM ABC27 News studio in Harrisburg, put two candidates with starkly different governing philosophies before Pennsylvania voters who have listed affordability and the economy as their top concerns this cycle.

With more than 1,000 Pennsylvanians infected with measles this year and five people dead from the disease, the outbreak became one of the debate's most pointed exchanges. Garrity called Shapiro the 'least transparent governor in modern Pennsylvania history.'

What the governor did in the midst of these deaths… The first thing he did was he ran to the camera.— Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee

Garrity also criticized proposed regulation changes within the state Department of Health — changes she said are now being revised following scrutiny — that she argued would have allowed health officials to enter schools, private residences, businesses, and houses of worship without parental notification or warrants. Garrity, who has agreed with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on other issues, said during the debate she is not against the MMR vaccine.

Shapiro has previously criticized Kennedy, who previously denied the effectiveness of vaccines, after announcing the first two measles deaths on August 25. The governor did not back down from that position on the debate stage.

On data centers, both candidates acknowledged shifting positions. Shapiro — who once said Pennsylvania is 'all in on AI' — said he responded to residents' concerns by issuing an executive order he described as imposing 'the strictest guardrails in the nation.' Under the order, data center projects must supply their own power, protect the environment, and — critically — secure approval from the local community through an ordinance or resolution, include local labor, and sign a local benefits agreement before the state will even consider permits.

A moratorium is a timeline to get to a policy. I put in place the strictest policy, the strictest guardrails in the nation to ensure that our communities are protected. Again, just putting it very simply, if a local community does not want that data center to be built in their community, it will not be built.— Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Governor and Democratic gubernatorial nominee

Garrity, who has called for a moratorium on data center development, said she held five listening sessions across the state and heard a consistent message from township supervisors, commissioners, local solicitors, and community leaders.

They're not against data centers, but they want time to get their zoning updated.— Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee

The candidates offered sharply divergent readings of President Donald Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill,' the domestic policy legislation that made expiring provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent, created tax deductions for tips and overtime pay, and made significant changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Shapiro said the law will result in more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians losing healthcare access and 143,000 losing food assistance benefits, and warned it would hurt rural hospitals.

That was a bill that I strongly opposed. I urged each member of our congressional delegation to vote against it. My opponent campaigned for it. She called on lawmakers in Washington to pass it – said it would be fantastic.— Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Governor and Democratic gubernatorial nominee

Garrity reframed the bill around its benefits for workers and families, and turned Shapiro's opposition against him.

Let's talk about the bill that the governor is referencing: It is no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, expanded Child Tax Credit. So the governor opposes all of that.— Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania State Treasurer and Republican gubernatorial nominee

On affordability, Garrity said she would promote natural gas and energy development, proposing to eliminate the state's gross receipts tax on electricity and prevent 'tax stacking' on electricity bills. She said unleashing Pennsylvania's natural gas resources would create 200,000 jobs and generate $5 to $6 billion in revenue. Shapiro blamed elevated gas and diesel prices on what he called 'President Trump's war in Iran' and said he is open to suspending the state gas tax, but that the General Assembly would need to act.

Education was another fault line. Shapiro touted a 35% increase in public education spending during his first term and said he is open to opting into a federal tax credit for tutoring, private school, and homeschooling, and open to school choice. Garrity accused him of holding three contradictory positions on the issue over the course of his political career, saying he supported it when he first ran, then vetoed it out of the first budget, and now blames a divided legislature.

Garrity also pressed Shapiro on his administration's handling of sexual harassment allegations against his longtime aide and former secretary of legislative affairs Mike Vereb, criticizing the use of $295,000 in taxpayer money to settle the claim and the confidential nature of that settlement. Shapiro said his office immediately investigated the complaint, that Vereb promptly resigned at the conclusion of the independent investigation, and that his team subsequently reviewed and updated the administration's policies and procedures.

At the conclusion of that independent investigation, the individual in question immediately resigned. Following that, my team and I came together to review the policies in place should a complaint ever be made again – which none have – to determine what, if anything, we would change in our policies and procedures.— Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania Governor and Democratic gubernatorial nominee

The candidates also faced questions about their political futures. Shapiro, a popular first-term governor, is widely expected to pursue a White House run in 2028 if reelected. He evaded a direct question about whether he would commit to serving the full four-year term, instead noting that Garrity had made a commitment to serve her full term as treasurer and was now breaking it by running for governor. Garrity, a Bradford County native who would be the first woman to serve as Pennsylvania governor if elected, said she is not fully aligned with Trump — pointing to tariffs as an example — even as she touted his endorsement.

Shapiro said he has sued the Trump administration more than two dozen times. The race heads to the November 3 election.

Why it matters — Pennsylvania is a perennial presidential battleground state, and this debate is the only televised face-off before the November 3 election that will determine who governs it for the next four years — with live crises from a measles outbreak to an AI infrastructure boom already testing the candidates' positions.

Sources differ on Effect of the 'One Big Beautiful Bill' on Pennsylvanians: Will cause 500,000+ Pennsylvanians to lose healthcare and 143,000 to lose food assistance; will hurt rural hospitals. (cityandstatepa.com (Shapiro's claim)) vs Delivers no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security, and an expanded Child Tax Credit. (cityandstatepa.com (Garrity's claim))

Sources differ on Data center policy: executive order vs. moratorium: Shapiro's executive order provides the 'strictest guardrails in the nation' and is more effective than a moratorium. (cityandstatepa.com (Shapiro's claim)) vs A moratorium is needed to give local governments time to update zoning ordinances. (cityandstatepa.com (Garrity's claim))

Sources differ on Education spending under Shapiro: Shapiro increased public education spending by 35% during his first term. (witf.org (Shapiro's claim)) vs Shapiro's education spending constitutes overspending. (witf.org (Garrity's characterization))

Reported by thehill.com, goerie.com, witf.org, cityandstatepa.com