Shapiro takes lead in tight race in attorney general race; contenders still battling for treasurer; DeFoor wins auditor general

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro was poised to claim a second term in office Friday morning as the mail-in ballot count continued, while Timothy DeFoor of Dauphin County became the first Republican to serve as state auditor general in more than 20 years.

Shapiro, 47, a Democrat from Montgomery County, pulled ahead of Heather Heidelbaugh, 61, of Allegheny County by almost 4 percentage points, erasing a deficit that size that his challenger held Wednesday in the early count.

Even while trailing a day earlier, Shapiro remained steadfast that his supporters should stay the course.

“Stay calm. Take a deep breath,” he tweeted. “Your Twitter and Facebook feeds don’t actually know what’s going to happen.”

Democrat Joe Torsella’s bid for a second term as state Treasurer appeared less than certain Friday morning. The 57-year-old from Montgomery County lagged 2.5 percentage points behind GOP challenger Stacy Garrity, 56. The Bradford County businesswoman, in her first bid for statewide office, was ahead 3,203,328 to 3,092,914. It was unclear how many more votes remained to be counted.

Both Torsella and Shapiro are considered among likely Democratic contenders in 2022 for open seats in the governor’s office and the U.S. Senate.

The race to fill the Auditor General’s office, which Democrat Eugene DePasquale filled for two terms, featured a hard-fought race pitting DeFoor, 58, against former Philadelphia deputy mayor Nina Ahmad, 61. On Friday morning, the Associated Press called the race for DeFoor.

The last Republican to hold the office was Barbara Hafer, who left in 1997.