Rising Costs Drive Pennsylvania Governor’s Race: Gas, Rent and Groceries Top Voters’ Concerns

For many Pennsylvania voters, the 2026 governor's race is less about slogans and more about whether gas, rent, groceries and health care will keep becoming harder to afford. Economic strain is shaping the contest between Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and Republican State Treasurer Stacy Garrity as households report paychecks no longer stretch as far as they once did.

Polls Put Affordability Front and Center

A joint survey by The Philadelphia Inquirer, The New York Times and Siena University found that prices and the broader economy are top voter priorities. In that poll, Shapiro led Garrity on pocketbook issues: 55% of likely voters preferred Shapiro on the state economy, and 56% favored him on cost-of-living questions.

How Higher Costs Hit Everyday Pennsylvanians

Housing captures the squeeze for Pittsburgh resident Ben Hummer, 29, who says rent on his 500-square-foot apartment has risen by $50 each year since he moved in. “Anything that could increase the supply and affordability of housing in the Pittsburgh area would be massive,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Gasoline and groceries add to the pressure: in July gas prices topped $4 per gallon in parts of the state, and trade policies implemented during the Trump administration have been cited as one factor raising some household costs. Garrity has remained politically aligned with former President Donald Trump.

For Caitlyn Needham, a 28-year-old cake decorator in Pittsburgh, a pet's medical emergency illustrated how quickly a tight budget can unravel. “I have a rabbit, and she had a medical emergency. 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,” she told the paper.

“It’s very difficult for lawmakers at any level of government to change the picture on affordability, at least any time quickly,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “Each issue that makes up the affordability crisis requires its own set of solutions and efforts… that actually is probably the only way to make a difference.”

Candidates Offer Different Paths

Both campaigns have pitched plans to address affordability, but their approaches differ sharply. Garrity’s Turnaround PA proposal includes state-backed assistance for first-time homebuyers (covering 3% of an eligible buyer’s mortgage interest rate), measures to lower prescription drug costs, reductions in property taxes, and efforts to secure federal funding to support rural health care.

Analysts caution that proposals promising tax relief or new programs generally require offsets somewhere 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,” Zandi said.

Shapiro, for his part, has emphasized actions his administration says it has already taken: more than 25,000 jobs added, about $41 billion in private investment attracted to the state, and state programs intended to help households, including the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, the Working Pennsylvanians Tax Credit, and pay increases for childcare workers.

National Context

Federal policy choices matter: proposals to cut Medicaid funding, for example, could strain rural hospitals and nursing homes that depend on federal dollars. Pennsylvania’s affordability debate mirrors a national trend—rising food prices, higher utility bills, housing shortages and growing insurance costs are shaping voter priorities across the country.

As voters weigh rent, groceries, gas and medical bills, many are looking for relief that feels both credible and achievable. For residents like Needham, the stakes are immediate: “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…”