Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is projected to win reelection as Pennsylvania governor. The Associated Press called the Nov. 3, 2026, race for Shapiro.
Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis sought a second term against Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity and Jason Richey, and Libertarians Ken Krawchuk and John Thomas. All three tickets appear on Chester County’s official candidate list.
The AP projection is separate from official certification. Readers can follow the Pennsylvania Department of State’s election-results page for reported vote totals. Election-night returns remain unofficial until election officials complete their review and certify the results.
The candidates and the issues
Shapiro, of Montgomery County, has served as governor since January 2023. He previously served as state attorney general from 2017 to January 2023 and in the Pennsylvania House from 2005 until January 2012, according to the legislature’s biographical archive.
Garrity was elected treasurer in 2020 and reelected in 2024, according to the Treasury Department. She is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel who worked at Global Tungsten & Powders before entering politics.
In Spotlight PA’s candidate guide, Shapiro emphasized public education funding, government efficiency and economic development. Garrity focused on rural communities, faster permitting and greater natural gas production. Krawchuk, of Abington, advocated privatizing schools, eliminating school property taxes and the state personal income tax, and decriminalizing drugs.
The major-party candidates differed on abortion and marijuana. Shapiro supported maintaining legal abortion access and legalizing recreational marijuana. Garrity opposed abortion, with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother, and said she would veto recreational marijuana legislation, according to the guide.
Chester County’s counting process
Chester County Voter Services scheduled central ballot counting to begin at 7 a.m. Nov. 3 on the fifth floor of 313 W. Market St. in West Chester. The county’s notice says the official computation of election and provisional votes will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the same location.
The governor’s race was one of several state and federal contests on Chester County ballots. The county’s official list also includes U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan and Republican Marty Young in the 6th Congressional District; Democrat Chris Pielli and Republican Kris R. Vollrath in the 156th state House District; Democrat Paul Friel and Republican Samantha Horosky in the 26th; and Democrat Katie Muth and Republican Melissa Dicranian in the 44th state Senate District. These districts serve different portions of the county; not every county voter was eligible to vote in each contest.
Vote counting and certification continue independently of news organizations’ race calls. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission explains that only election officials certify final results after counting and checking ballots.
