2026 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election
The 2026 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election will take place on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Pennsylvania. Primary elections will be held on May 19, 2026. Incumbent Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro announced in January 2026 that he would run for election to a second term. This will be one of five Democratic-held governorships up for election in 2026 in a state that Donald Trump won in the 2024 presidential election.
Background
Pennsylvania is a purple state located in the Northeastern United States. A part of the Rust Belt, it was narrowly won by Republican Donald Trump in his non-consecutive second victory in 2024 after similarly narrow victories by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020 and Trump in his first election in 2016.The state has a Democratic and Republican senator, making it one of only three states to have a split Senate delegation,while Republicans hold a majority in the state's House delegation, with ten seats to the Democrats' seven.
Democrats also control the Pennsylvania House of Representatives while Republicans control the Pennsylvania Senate.
Incumbent Democratic governor Josh Shapiro was first elected with 56.5% of the vote in 2022, succeeding term-limited Democrat Tom Wolf.
Democratic primary
Governor
Candidates
Declared
- Josh Shapiro, incumbent governor
Declined
- Bob Casey Jr., former U.S. Senator and son of former governor Bob Casey Sr.
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Declared
- Austin Davis, incumbent lieutenant governor
Republican primary
Governor
Candidates
Declared
- Stacy Garrity, Pennsylvania State Treasurer and candidate for Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district in 2019
Withdrawn
- John Ventre, former Pennsylvania director for the Mutual UFO Network and perennial candidate ''''
Declined
- Scott Martin, state senator from SD-13 and candidate for governor in 2022 '
- Doug Mastriano, state senator from SD-33 and nominee for governor in 2022
- Dan Meuser, U.S. representative from '
- Dave Sunday, Pennsylvania Attorney General '
- Glenn Thompson, U.S. representative from '
- Mike Turzai, former Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from the 28th district
Polling
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Stacy Garrity | Doug Mastriano | Dan Meuser | Scott Perry | Kristin Phillips-Hill | Others | Undecided |
| Public Policy Polling | September 18–19, 2025 | 524 | ± 4.3% | 20% | 39% | – | – | – | – | 41% |
| Public Policy Polling | May 2025 | 433 | – | 18% | 39% | 6% | – | – | – | 37% |
| Pennsylvania Leadership Conference | April 8, 2024 | 240 | – | 7% | 6% | – | 4% | 3% | 1% | 79% |
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
Declared
- Cris Dush, state senator from SD-25
- Brian Thomas, businessman
- John Ventre, former Pennsylvania director for the Mutual UFO Network and perennial candidate
- Jason Richey, chair of the Allegheny County Republican Party and candidate for governor in 2022
Publicly expressed interest
- Doug Mastriano, state senator from SD-33 and nominee for governor in 2022
- Rick Saccone, former state representative from HD-39 and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2022
Declined
- Tom DiBello, Montgomery County Commissioner
Libertarian convention
Governor
Candidates
Declared
- Ken Krawchuk, member of the Libertarian Party Judicial Committee, perennial candidate, and nominee for governor in 1998, 2002, and 2018
Constitution convention
Governor
Candidates
Declared
- Bill Messner, chair of the Lawrence County Constitution Party
Lieutenant governor
Declared
- Marty Selker, nominee for U.S. Senate in 2024
General election
Polling
Josh Shapiro vs. Stacy GarrityAggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Josh Shapiro | Stacy Garrity | Other/ | Margin |
| Race to the WH | September 22–29, 2025 | November 24, 2025 | 54.3% | 37.9% | 7.8% | Shapiro +16.4% |
| RealClearPolitics | September 22–29, 2025 | November 24, 2025 | 54.5% | 37.5% | 8.0% | Shapiro +17.0% |
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Josh Shapiro | Stacy Garrity | Other | Undecided |
| Quinnipiac University | September 25–29, 2025 | 1,579 | ± 3.3% | 55% | 39% | 1% | 5% |
| Susquehanna Polling & Research | September 22–28, 2025 | 700 | ± 3.7% | 54% | 36% | – | 9% |
Josh Shapiro vs. Doug Mastriano
Aggregate polls
| Source of poll aggregation | Dates administered | Dates updated | Josh Shapiro | Doug Mastriano | Other/ | Margin |
| Race to the WH | September 22–29, 2025 | November 24, 2025 | 55.3% | 38.4% | 6.3% | Shapiro +16.9% |
| RealClearPolitics | September 22–29, 2025 | November 24, 2025 | 55.5% | 38.0% | 6.5% | Shapiro +17.5% |
| Poll source | Date administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Josh Shapiro | Doug Mastriano | Other | Undecided |
| Quinnipiac University | September 25–29, 2025 | 1,579 | ± 3.3% | 56% | 39% | – | 5% |
| Susquehanna Polling & Research | September 22–28, 2025 | 704 | ± 3.7% | 55% | 37% | – | 7% |