Stacey Garrity Backs GOP Candidate Jason Richey For PA Lieutenant Governor

A Republican from Allegheny County announced Thursday that he is running as lieutenant governor and was endorsed shortly after by GOP gubernatorial candidate Stacy Garrity.

Jason Richey, a Western Pennsylvania attorney and county Republican Party chair, enters a field of Republican candidates seeking the state’s second-highest office, but he is the only one endorsed by Garrity, the state’s two-term treasurer.

The candidate told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his decision followed recent discussions with supporters, Garrity, and U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican.

“All felt I would make for a strong ticket and could help in both campaigning and governing,” Richey told the newspaper. “I thought about it, and all the same reasons that I ran for governor four years ago still exist.”

Richey previously sought the Republican nomination for governor in 2022 but withdrew from the race before the primary election.

Garrity praised Richey as an “accomplished” leader.

“He understands the enormous potential that Pennsylvania has – and the leadership failure that has left our Commonwealth ranked 41st in the nation,” Garrity said in a social media post.

Garrity’s campaign is preparing for a general election challenge against Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Lt. Gov. Austin Davis.

Garrity’s campaign received a high-profile endorsement Tuesday from President Donald Trump.

While Richey has secured the backing of the party’s presumptive gubernatorial nominee, he faces a contested primary. Other Republicans in the race include Morrisville businessman Brian Thomas, State Sen. Cris Dush, and John Ventre, a former UPS executive and UFO investigator.

Under Pennsylvania law, candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run separately in the primary. The winners of each race then form a single ticket for the November general election.

While candidates are not required to coordinate their primary campaigns, Shapiro and Davis have continued to run as a unified team.

The lieutenant governor serves as the first in the line of succession to the governor. The office’s constitutional and statutory duties include presiding over the state Senate, where the lieutenant governor can cast tie-breaking votes, and chairing the Board of Pardons. The lieutenant governor also leads the Local Government Advisory Committee and serves on the Emergency Management Council. It is not uncommon for lieutenant governors to take on other portfolios.