Democrat sees abortion, extremism as wedge points in bid to unseat GOP Pennsylvania state treasurer

A Democratic Pennsylvania state lawmaker introduced Tuesday that he’ll run for treasurer in 2024, positioning himself as an ideological reverse to the Republican incumbent concerning abortion entry and the 2020 election.

Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, 37, introduced his celebration major candidacy for the seat held by incumbent Stacy Garrity, a Republican, who has mentioned she plans to run for a second time period.

The Erie consultant couched the marketing campaign as a “battle to cease the unfold of extremism right here in Pennsylvania,” saying Garrity has used “Harrisburg as a platform, spreading lies and selling excessive agendas.”

“I’m operating for State Treasurer to guard taxpayer belongings, defend pensions, and to guard you from Stacy Garrity,” Bizzarro mentioned in his marketing campaign announcement video.

He focused Garrity’s anti-abortion stance within the wake of final yr’s Dobbs determination overturning Roe v. Wade. Democrats have tapped abortion entry as a prime challenge for voters heading towards the polls. It was a focus within the 2022 nationwide elections however has additionally performed a big position in Pennsylvania state elections, the place Democrats maintain a one-seat majority within the Home, which they’ve mentioned provides them leverage to guard entry.

Bizzarro additionally tied Garrity to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on the U.S. Capitol, noting that she and different GOP politicians within the state rallied in Harrisburg the day gone by, protesting the 2020 election outcomes.

“As State Treasurer, I’ll strengthen packages that defend seniors, assist households save for school, present low-interest loans for our farmers, non-profits, cities and cities,” Bizzarro mentioned in a information launch.

Garrity marketing campaign adviser Dennis Roddy, a senior adviser at ColdSpark consulting agency, mentioned that Garrity has been a guardian of taxpayer {dollars} in her first time period and Bizzarro is speaking about the whole lot however what a treasurer truly does. He known as Bizzarro “a so-called chief within the laziest, least completed state Legislature in current reminiscence.”

“All he’s trying to do is to nationalize an election that has nothing to do with the problems he’s elevating,” Roddy mentioned.

Bizzarro, an Erie County native, was first sworn in to the Legislature in 2013. Earlier than his tenure within the Capitol, Bizzarro labored as a sufferer/witness coordinator and advocate for the Workplace of the Erie County District Legal professional and the Crime Sufferer Heart. He’s coverage chairman for the Home Democrats, a caucus management spot.

Garrity, a retired U.S. Military Reserves colonel who served as vice chairman of a tungsten smelting plant, ousted a Democratic incumbent when she was elected in 2020. She mentioned her main aim was to make use of the Treasury Division’s leverage to push lawmakers and the governor to restrict state authorities spending to cash that has been formally appropriated by the Legislature.