McClelland beats Bizzarro in primary for Pa. treasurer, will face GOP incumbent Garrity

Democrat Erin McClelland clinched her party's nomination for state treasurer Tuesday, beating State Rep. Ryan Bizzarro, who sought to be the first Erie County resident to win a statewide office in nearly 30 years.

By 11:53 p.m., unofficial primary election results had McClelland with 524,503 votes to Bizzarro’s 439,261 votes statewide ― a lead of 54% to 46% with 91% of precincts reporting.

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Bizzarro, while winning Erie County ― 20,802 to 3,896 votes ― and its surrounding counties, as well as population centers like Philadelphia and Montgomery counties, trailed McClelland in much of the rest of the state, including McClelland’s home turf of Allegheny County.

McClelland, 48, a substance abuse and mental health counselor, as well as a small business owner, will face Republican incumbent Stacy Garrity ― who ran unopposed in Tuesday’s Republican primary ― in the November election. Garrity was elected in 2020 and is running for a second term.

Bizzarro, 38, of Millcreek Township, had acquired a slew of endorsements for treasurer, including a coveted endorsement from the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee.

Winning the nomination would have put him on a path to be the first Erie County resident to win statewide office since former Gov. Tom Ridge, who won the governorship in 1995.

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Bizzarro released the following statement Tuesday night:

"Pennsylvania is the birthplace of American democracy. Today, we again exercised our grand experiment of self-governance that our forefathers envisioned in Philadelphia almost 250 years ago. Pennsylvanians went to the polls and participated in our democratic process. While the results were not what I expected or hoped for, I respect the voters’ choice."

He added, "My commitment to the commonwealth and its people remains undiminished, and I look forward to continuing my work on behalf of all Pennsylvanians in the House of Representatives. I congratulate all of tonight's winners, and I thank all of my supporters from the bottom of my heart."

Despite Tuesday's defeat, Bizzarro will not be absent from the ballot in November.

Bizzarro is running for a seventh, two-year term in the 3rd Legislative District. He ran unopposed in Tuesday’s primary and will face Republican Micah Goring in the November election.

A.J. Rao can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: State treasurer race: McClelland wins, will face Garrity in November