One Less Republican Candidate in Pennsylvania Governor’s Race as Ciarrocchi Drops Out

Guy Ciarrocchi is out of the running for the GOP nomination for governor. Sen. Scott Martin and Jason Monn have also dropped out of the field of candidates.

The field of Republican candidates for governor of Pennsylvania just got a little thinner.

Guy Ciarrocchi sent an email Thursday saying he was dropping out of the race for the GOP nomination. The president of the Chester County Chamber of Business & Industry said it was “time that I close this chapter and wish my colleagues well.”

Ciarrocchi announced his candidacy in September. He was set to face a long list of other GOP hopefuls in the May primary, including current and former state lawmakers, a former congressman, a former federal prosecutor, business owners, and a heart surgeon.

On the other side of the aisle, Attorney General Josh Shapiro is the lone Democratic candidate.

During his campaign, Ciarrocchi opposed raising the minimum wage and proposed changing the unemployment system. He supported reducing the state’s corporate taxes to encourage businesses to relocate to the commonwealth.

He also supported restricting reproductive rights.

Ciarrocchi served as chief of staff to former Lt. Governor Jim Cawley, former Congressman Jim Gerlach, and former state Sen. Melissa Hart. 

Under former President George W. Bush, Ciarrocchi served as a regional director of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development and was the 2004 campaign manager of the Bush-Cheney re-election committee in Pennsylvania.