Overview
- Axios published a recording of Bob Brooks telling Lehigh University students that Gov. Josh Shapiro asked his firefighters union to endorse Republican Stacy Garrity over Democrat Erin McClelland in the 2024 state treasurer race.
- Brooks later said he misspoke and called his comment inaccurate, and Shapiro spokesperson Manuel Bonder said the governor never asked Brooks to make endorsements in that race.
- Brooks linked the alleged request to McClelland’s 2024 post questioning whether Shapiro could serve under a woman as vice president, a break that grew from a 2023 harassment case involving aide Mike Vereb and a $295,000 settlement.
- Shapiro has a close relationship with Brooks and backed his current U.S. House bid, even appearing in a direct-to-camera TV ad during a crowded Democratic primary.
- The claim surfaces as Garrity, who won reelection as treasurer in 2024, is challenging Shapiro for governor in 2026, and Axios reports the episode could weigh on any future national bid by the governor.