Former Democrats and Republicans Pennsylvania Governors Urge Lawmakers to Protect Josh Shapiro's Family

All five living former Pennsylvania governors urged state leaders Monday to make Gov. Josh Shapiro's safety a nonpartisan priority, days after Treasurer Stacy Garrity refused to approve more than $1 million in security payments tied to the governor's private residence.

The joint statement was signed by Democrats Tom Wolf and Ed Rendell and Republicans Tom Corbett, Mark Schweiker, and Tom Ridge, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The former governors called the 2025 arson attack on the state-owned Governor's Residence an "unspeakable attack" and urged lawmakers to act.

"Combatting political violence and keeping our elected officials safe should always be nonpartisan and a priority," they wrote. "In the aftermath of that attack, we ask the state's current leaders and legislators to make the safety and security of the governor and his family a priority."

The appeal comes after Garrity, a Republican who is expected to face Shapiro in the fall election, said her office lacks legal authority to reimburse contractors for security upgrades at Shapiro's private home in Abington, a Philadelphia suburb. The work was recommended after an intruder set fire to the official residence in Harrisburg last year while Shapiro and his family were sleeping inside.

Garrity said the Pennsylvania State Police submitted reimbursement requests but "appear to have simply ignored the statutory limits and restrictions on spending and procurement," according to the Associated Press.

She said the state police could ask lawmakers to authorize the payments or seek a settlement process but argued that public money cannot be used for improvements on private property without legal authorization.

"It is clear," Garrity said, "that there is no legal authorization that allows for the use of taxpayer money for upgrades or improvements to the governor's personal home."

Garrity has denied that her decision is political. "I don't play these kind of political games," she said, and added that the safety of public officials and their families is of the "utmost importance" and that "an attack on the governor is an attack on all of us."

Shapiro's office called the move a "shameful political action without legal basis" and said state police are exploring options to ensure contractors are paid and the agency's security authority is protected. "The Treasurer should put partisanship aside, follow the law, and show some humanity for a family that has experienced real trauma," the governor's office said.

The dispute has become more politically charged because Garrity is the endorsed Republican candidate for governor and is uncontested in Pennsylvania's May 19 primary. Shapiro, a Democrat, is seeking a second term and has also been viewed nationally as a potential 2028 presidential contender.

The security upgrades followed the April 13, 2025, attack at the Governor's Residence in Harrisburg. Reuters reported at the time that Cody Balmer allegedly climbed over a fence, entered the property with homemade incendiary devices, set the residence on fire, and forced state police to evacuate Shapiro and his family at about 2 a.m. No one was injured.

Balmer later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and was sentenced to 25 to 50 years in prison. The state has already paid more than $26 million for security upgrades and remediation at the official residence, including a higher anti-climb fence.