For many Pennsylvania voters, the 2026 governor's race is not centered on slogans so much as it is on whether gas, rent, groceries, and health care will keep becoming harder to afford.
That pressure is shaping the contest between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican state Treasurer Stacy Garrity, as families across the state say their paychecks are no longer stretching the way they once did.
Here's what to know
A survey conducted by The Philadelphia Inquirer with The New York Times and Siena University found that voters are closely focused on prices and the overall economy, making affordability a core issue in the race.
In that poll, Shapiro held the advantage on both pocketbook questions: 55% of likely voters chose him over Garrity on the state's economy, and 56% preferred him on cost-of-living issues.
Housing captures that squeeze for Ben Hummer, a 29-year-old human resources worker in Pittsburgh. He told The Philadelphia Inquirer that the rent on his 500-square-foot apartment has increased by $50 a month every year since he moved in.
"Anything that could increase the supply and affordability of housing in the Pittsburgh area would be massive," he said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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The pressure extends beyond rent. Gas prices in July were over $4 a gallon, and tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump have pushed up ordinary household expenses. Garrity has stayed politically loyal to Trump.
More background
For Caitlyn Needham, a 28-year-old cake decorator in Pittsburgh, a pet emergency showed how quickly a tight budget can collapse.
"I have a rabbit, and she had a medical emergency [in November]," she said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer. "So for two months, the only thing I could afford to eat while paying off those bills was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."
Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that broader national and international forces limit how fast policymakers can act on affordability, saying, "it's very difficult for lawmakers at any level of government to change the picture on affordability, at least any time quickly," because those issues stem from broader national and international forces.
He also said, "Each issue that makes up the affordability crisis requires its own set of solutions and efforts, so it feels like a laundry list of policy steps, and it is. But that actually is probably the only way to make a difference."
There is also the question of federal policy. Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act called for cutting Medicaid by $1 trillion over a decade beginning after the midterms, while rural hospitals and nursing homes rely more heavily on federal money.
What's being done?
Both campaigns are trying to meet those concerns with plans built around affordability, but the two candidates are pitching sharply different ideas.
Garrity's answer is her "Turnaround PA" proposal. It includes state-backed assistance for first-time homebuyers that would cover 3% of an eligible buyer's mortgage interest rate, and it also calls for lowering prescription drug costs, reducing property taxes, and seeking federal dollars to bolster rural health care, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
Zandi, however, said promises like those require offsets somewhere else in the budget.
"If you're giving tax cuts over here, you've got to figure out how to pay for it … and that means you're cutting spending," he said, per The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Shapiro, by contrast, is making his case by pointing to what he has already done in office. His campaign says his administration has added more than 25,000 jobs, brought in $41 billion in private investment, and supported affordability through the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program and the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit.
He is also citing pay raises for childcare workers as part of that argument.
Needham summed up the stakes this way: "Pennsylvanians need a relief valve before things get worse. So many people are one bad week away from not being able to keep their housing, or losing their medical coverage, or losing their job because their car broke down and they can't afford to get service. It's like everyone is just one accident away from not being able to live."
Where can I learn more?
Pennsylvania voters weighing rent, groceries, gas, and medical bills are hardly alone. Across the country, rising food costs, higher utility bills, housing strain, and insurance premiums are shaping policy debates in much the same way.
• In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul expanded aid last year so families can avoid choosing between rent and food.
• For many Florida residents, one of the newest pain points is health insurance, which has become both harder to keep and more expensive to use.
• 95% of Americans see a U.S. affordability crisis as groceries and gas strain budgets.
That broader pressure helps explain why affordability has become such a powerful political test. When housing, food, energy, and care all keep getting more expensive, voters tend to focus on whether any promised relief feels real.
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