Pennsylvania governor’s debate 2026: How to watch and what we’re looking for
The debate — and the opportunity to reach voters across the state — comes as Gov. Josh Shapiro maintains a significant fundraising and polling edge, while Stacy Garrity seeks to gain traction.
Gov. Josh Shapiro and his Republican challenger, state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, will meet face-to-face on Wednesday night for the first and only scheduled live, televised debate in the Pennsylvania governor’s race.
The hourlong debate — and the opportunity to reach voters across the Keystone State — comes as Shapiro maintains a significant fundraising and polling edge in the weeks before the Nov. 3 election, while Garrity seeks to gain traction.
For Shapiro, a popular Democratic incumbent and potential presidential contender, the night serves as an opportunity to tout his administration’s first-term successes — and could also provide a warmup for the 2028 Democratic primary debate stage.
For Garrity — who last month was unknown to one-third of likely Pennsylvania voters and a quarter of Republicans — the primetime debate is a chance to introduce herself and make the case for her vision for the state and why Shapiro does not deserve reelection.
» READ MORE: Stacy Garrity hopes ‘the cavalry will be coming’ with less than a month until Pennsylvania’s governor election
A third gubernatorial candidate who will appear on the November ballot — Libertarian Ken Krawchuk — was not invited to participate.
Here’s what you should know about the Pennsylvania governor’s debate, hosted by abc27.
Date: Wednesday, Oct. 7
Time: 8 p.m.
Location: abc27 studio in Harrisburg
Moderator: abc27 news anchor Dennis Owens
TV: Nexstar Media stations throughout Pennsylvania, including PHL17 in Philadelphia
Streaming: Live on each station’s website, including phl17.com
What time does the Pennsylvania governor’s debate start?
The hourlong debate is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.
It will take place at WHTM Studios in Harrisburg and will be moderated by abc27 news anchor Dennis Owens. There will be no live audience for the debate.
How can I watch the debate?
The debate will air live on several stations owned by Nexstar Media Inc., including PHL17 In Philadelphia. It will also air on WTAJ-TV serving Altoona, WBRE/WYOU serving Scranton, WFXP/WJET serving Erie, and WPXI in Pittsburgh.
The debate will also stream live on each station’s website and smart TV apps and will be available on YouTube.
Who are the candidates?
Gov. Josh Shapiro, 53, was elected governor in 2022 after serving two terms as the state’s attorney general. A Montgomery County native, he previously represented Meadowbrook, Fort Washington, and parts of Glenside in the state House, and chaired the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. In 2024, Shapiro was on the short list to become then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris’ running mate, a position he ultimately turned down. During his first term, he’s navigated a divided legislature in Harrisburg, and has touted his efforts to “Get Stuff Done,” including efforts to hasten slow permitting practices, attracting businesses to the state, and expediting the repair of a collapsed section of I-95 in 2023.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, 62, was first elected to the office in 2020, winning reelection in 2024 with record numbers. If successful in November, she would become Pennsylvania’s first female governor. She is endorsed by President Donald Trump and received a strong early showing of support from the state Republican Party, but has struggled to maintain momentum. A native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, Garrity spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Army Reserves, and retired as a colonel. She then became a business executive, at one of the world’s largest tungsten companies.
What to watch for
How will Shapiro and Garrity come across on the debate stage?
Neither candidate has recent debate experience to fall back on.
Shapiro hasn’t appeared in a debate since 2016, when he first ran for statewide office to be Pennsylvania’s attorney general. During his first bid for governor in 2022, Shapiro and his Republican challenger, State Sen. Doug Mastriano, could not agree on terms to debate as the far-right senator rarely spoke to the Pennsylvania’s traditional press corps.
And Garrity has not appeared in a debate against either of her Democratic opponents for treasurer, including incumbent Joe Torsella in 2020 and Erin McClelland in 2024. After Republicans cleared the field for her in an unprecedentedly early endorsement for governor, she ran unopposed in the April GOP primary.
How will they appeal to voters’ wallets?
Pennsylvania voters have repeatedly emphasized the economy and cost-of-living concerns as their top issues heading into the midterm elections. Shapiro has said one of his first priorities if he wins with a Democratic takeover of the state Senate is to enact a $15 minimum wage; Garrity has said the state’s $7.25 minimum wage does not need to be raised but wants to reduce costs for Pennsylvanians elsewhere by eliminating property taxes for seniors on fixed incomes, first responders, and veterans. Shapiro, for his part, boasts his efforts to cap utility costs.
» READ MORE: Affordability is on voters’ minds in Pa. swing districts as the cost of gas and groceries skyrockets
Will data centers take center stage?
Another issue on many Pennsylvanians’ minds: data center development, which is opposed by a majority of voters from both parties.
Both candidates also have a mixed record on data center development. Although Shapiro celebrated an announcement last year that Amazon would be building two data centers in Pennsylvania, in August he enacted an executive order that requires data centers to be transparent, get local approval, and bring their own electricity generation.
» READ MORE: In a major shift, Gov. Josh Shapiro restricts data center development in Pennsylvania
Garrity also initially embraced Amazon’s announcement, but has since called for the legislature to allow municipalities to implement a six-month moratorium on data center development and a ban on their construction on farmland.
What will Garrity say about Shapiro?
The debate stage will offer both candidates the opportunity to lob attacks at one another.
Garrity has challenged Shapiro’s handling of Pennsylvania’s economy and his past backpedaling on his support for school choice, and is likely to do so again on Wednesday night.
She has also accused Shapiro of being opaque about his office’s handling of a sexual harassment allegation against of one of his closest aides, Mike Vereb, who later stepped down. Shapiro’s administration paid the woman $295,000 in an out-of-court settlement, largely covered by the state’s employee liability insurance and some taxpayer dollars. Garrity, in her digital video series “Twilight Justice,” has also criticized Shapiro’s role as attorney general in investigating the 2011 death of Philadelphia teacher Ellen Greenberg, which was ruled a suicide by the city’s medical examiner, leading to legal challenges, investigations, and public scrutiny.
What will Shapiro say about Garrity?
In a post on social media ahead of the debate, Shapiro’s team slammed Garrity as an “election denying conspiracy theorist.” She questioned President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory during a 2022 Trump rally in Western Pennsylvania, but reaffirmed in an interview last week that Biden was elected. Shapiro’s campaign has also Garrity can’t be trusted to protect abortion access. Garrity, who said she is against abortion, said she wouldn’t overturn the state’s law that permits abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation.
Shapiro’s campaign has also closely linked Garrity to Trump, who is unpopular among a majority of Pennsylvania’s likely voters. Garrity remains supportive of Trump, and Shapiro ads running across the state label Garrity as “100% MAGA.”
Who will tune in to watch?
Viewership is often low for state-level political debates, said Berwood Yost, a political-science professor who leads Franklin and Marshall College’s polling. And barring any major gaffes from either candidate, they “usually don’t change” an election’s outcome.
With Shapiro so far ahead in public opinion polls, it’s even more unlikely that the debate will play a role in helping voters decide who they will support.
“This race is pretty far down on peoples’ minds, in part because the Garrity campaign hasn’t been able to make a game of it,” Yost said.
