Lt. Gov. Austin Davis portrayed Republican governor candidate Stacy Garrity on Monday as a certain “rubber stamp” for President Donald Trump’s damaging economic policies if she’s elected.
“Stacy Garrity is campaigning on replicating Donald Trump's horrible policy and his cost-raising agenda, while bringing his chaos and confusion to Pennsylvania,” Davis said during a carpenters’ union hall campaign stop in South Scranton.
Davis is Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s running mate for reelection.
The lieutenant governor said Trump’s agenda includes cost-raising tariffs, healthcare cuts that “skyrocketed (insurance) premiums” and eliminated coverage for thousands and “his war of choice in Iran” that raised gasoline prices.
“Garrity will be a rubber stamp for Trump's White House, already pledging complete allegiance to President Trump. Look no further than her appearance a few weeks ago in the Oval Office by his side,” Davis said. “Stacy Garrity is completely aligned with the MAGA agenda 100%, proving she belongs nowhere near the governor's office.”
Tying Garrity to Trump
Davis’ stop was part of the recent Democratic push to firmly strap Garrity to Trump in the minds of voters. The president’s job approval rating among Pennsylvania voters stood at 38% in a July 29 PennLive poll with 60% disapproving.
A mid-July Quinnipiac University poll showed 58% of voters still haven’t heard enough about Garrity to form an opinion.
Accused of peddling rubbish
Matt Beynon, a spokesman for Garrity’s campaign, said she’s only sworn a pledge of loyalty when she joined the U.S. Army Reserve and promised to “support and defend” the United States.
“Austin Davis can only peddle this rubbish because he and Josh Shapiro have absolutely no accomplishments to promote,” Beynon said. “Under the failed Shapiro administration, Pennsylvania ranks 47th out of 50 states economically, 7 in 10 Pennsylvania 8th graders cannot read at grade level, and Pennsylvania families face the 5th highest tax burden in the nation.”
The stop also allowed a union official to argue Garrity will damage unions.
Simpson: Shapiro backs unions
Drew Simpson, regional manager at Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, which represents more than 22,000 carpenters and apprentices, said Shapiro has also pledged to prevent Pennsylvania from becoming a right-to-work state.
In right-to-work states, laws allow workers to choose whether to join a company’s union. Unions see right-to-work laws as threatening unions existence.
“Gov. Josh Shapiro has made it clear: as long as he is governor, Pennsylvania will never be a right-to-work state, and we will continue to protect the union way of life, including family-sustaining wages, health care, and retirement,” Simpson said.
He praised Shapiro and Davis for delivering for union workers by expanding apprenticeships, increasing spending on workforce training and fighting tax fraud among “bad actors” in the construction industry.
“Gov. Shapiro has (speeded) up permitting, reformed licensing regulations, helped businesses move projects forward faster, and (is) building a strong foundation to attract more projects to Pennsylvania, which means more opportunities for union building trades jobs,” Simpson said.
Garrity for families
In response, Beynon said, “Garrity is committed to fighting for the hardworking families across Pennsylvania that have been held back by the failures and incompetence of Josh Shapiro.”
“Unlike the Shapiro administration that has done everything it can to stifle economic prosperity, a Garrity-Richey Administration will work to ensure businesses can thrive by lowering the tax and regulatory burden they face and their workers can gain the skills they need through apprenticeship and workforce development programs to achieve their vision of the American Dream," Beynon said.
