The Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, Stacy Garrity, has recently come under scrutiny after reports indicated that she accepted $10,000 from a data center developer. Garrity recently attacked current Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro for supporting data centers, so the reports sparked backlash against the Republican.
As reported by The Keystone, campaign finance records show that Garrity received $10,000 from James Marzolino, the owner of Kriger Construction, a company currently linked to the development of data centers in northeastern Pennsylvania. Marzolino’s projects received more attention in Archbald, a small city with around 7,000 residents, where his company is building a total of three data centers.
The reports put Garrity in the spotlight, as she has been increasingly attacking Shapiro for being too pro-data center, despite the governor’s attempts to curb the industry through executive orders.
Garrity Under Fire After Receiving Contributions
Residents on r/Pennsylvania were not happy to discover that Garrity received money from James Marzolino and believed that she was being hypocritical: “Dear Republicans, is there no one? Is there no one in your party that is not a grifter, liar, cheater, or adulterer that you can put forth to represent the citizens of your community, state, nation? No one?”
Someone else was surprised to discover that the donation was so low: “Not surprised to see her sellout, but for such a low amount? They must know she isn’t winning.” Someone else added: “This needs to be blasted for more than just data center reasons… Sold out for only $10k?”
Others were glad to see the Democratic Party pushing back on Garrity and also trying to connect her to the unpopular issue: “Saw a ‘Stacy Garrity supports data centers’ ad for the first time yesterday before the Phillies game. Glad Dems are going full court press on this. Shapiro was already beating her handily in polls but I bet this will cement his win.”
Another resident wrote: “The ad that I keep hearing on the radio about her embracing data centers is so good. She represents none of us.”
Data centers will surely be at the center of discussions in the Pennsylvania election, as many residents complain about high energy prices. It remains to be seen how this will impact Garrity’s campaign.
