First posted on Instagram · @profilopolitics
Republican challenger Stacy Garrity went straight at the vaccine question in her only debate with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, telling voters she is fully vaccinated herself, knows the MMR shot is safe and effective, and believes Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. supports measles vaccination.
The exchange came when Garrity was asked about Pennsylvania's measles outbreak and where she stands with Kennedy. She answered directly: she has had the MMR herself, she encourages people to get it, and she believes Bobby Kennedy backs the measles vaccine. Shapiro shot back that his opponent "stands with RFK Jr." while he stands "on the side of science," blaming the measles comeback on vaccine misinformation and disinformation.
Garrity didn’t flinch. She clarified that she stood with Kennedy on healthy eating for kids and a healthier lifestyle — not on vaccine skepticism — then repeated that she is fully vaccinated and believes in the MMR. She turned the question back on Shapiro, criticizing his handling of the outbreak and his proposed health regulations, including officials talking to children in schools without parental notification, warrantless entries, and removing the words "pregnant mother" and "woman" from state language.
The stakes are real. Pennsylvania has recorded four measles-associated deaths — the first in 35 years — with 1,078 confirmed cases, and Shapiro has been locked in a public dispute with Kennedy over how the outbreak is being handled. The debate itself, held October 8, was the only time the two candidates shared a stage. Garrity noted she had appeared with Kennedy at a Harrisburg rally "in support of, basically, healthy eating for our kids," while Shapiro used his time to blame the Trump administration's tariffs and the Iran war for costing Pennsylvanians money. Garrity also pledged she would not leave the governor's office mid-term if elected.
With weeks to go before the midterms, the race is shaping up as a referendum on Shapiro's record — and Garrity made clear she won’t let the vaccine question be the thing that defines her.
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