Bizzarro, running for state treasurer, aims to give Erie a larger voice across the state

It’s been a while since an Erie County resident ran for a statewide office ― and won.

In fact, the last person to do so was former Gov. Tom Ridge, who won the governorship back in 1995.

But Democratic state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro hopes to defy the odds this year.

In addition to seeking a seventh two-year term in the 3rd legislative district, which covers Millcreek and Fairview townships, Bizzarro, 38, of Millcreek Township, is running to be the next state treasurer.

The challenges are plenty, he acknowledged in an interview with the Erie Times-News.

But, as he added, confronting challenges is nothing new to him.

“There were a lot of challenges when I first ran for House leadership,” he said, referring to his successful election as House Democratic Policy Committee chairman for the 2021-22 legislative session.

“I'm from the smallest delegation (the House Democrats’ Northwest Delegation) that we have in the Democratic caucus. So, when I ran for House leadership, I had to bank on years of relationships and working my members in order to get elected. That's defying the odds. And that's the sort of mindset I went into with this run for treasurer.”

So far, that mindset has paid off.

Bizzarro has already acquired a slew of endorsements for treasurer, including a coveted endorsement from the Pennsylvania State Democratic Committee.

Getting that endorsement required meeting a two-thirds vote threshold from Democrats across all 67 counties of the state. Bizzarro said he received 83% of the party’s vote on the first ballot and beat out other leaders from major population centers.

“I’ve worked hard for that,” he said. “This is not a vanity project for me. This is something that I want to do because I feel like I have something to bring to this office, and I'm proud to represent this region on the ballot.”

Bizzarro wants Erie to have 'loud, strong presence' in state

In Tuesday’s primary election, Bizzarro will compete for the Democratic nomination for treasurer against Erin McClelland, a former small business owner from Allegheny County.

If victorious, Bizzarro will face incumbent Republican treasurer Stacy Garrity in the November general election. Garrity, 59, was elected state treasurer in 2020. She is a businesswoman and a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel.

Bizarro said the historic nature of his candidacy, as far as his Erie County background, is not lost on him.

“I think that this is a big deal for Erie,” he said. “We have not had anybody elected statewide since Tom Ridge. I think Erie deserves to have that loud, strong presence throughout our commonwealth.”

Who's on the ballot? Tuesday is primary election day. Here's who's on the ballot in your municipality.

Bizzarro said Democratic treasurers around the nation have figured out how to leverage the treasury for economic and community development. He said this will be a major part of his plan if elected.

“I think it's important that we modernize the state treasury,” he said. “We have to start getting in the business of being a partner with folks and with communities across our commonwealth. The treasury has not really been modernized in about 30 years. It is the most underutilized row office that we have and I want to change that.”

Bizzarro seeking re-election to House seat

In addition to state treasurer, Democratic voters in Millcreek and Fairview townships Tuesday will get a chance to re-nominate Bizzarro to his House seat, which he first assumed in 2013.

Bizzarro is running unopposed for the nomination but will face off against Republican Micah Goring, a U.S. Air Force veteran who runs a business that supplies ATMs to various business locations, in November.

Bizzarro said running for two offices simultaneously is a common practice across the state. He said he felt compelled to do so after hearing from supporters.

“I thought heavily about just running for one of the offices,” he said. “But truly, we had overwhelming feedback from the community, from the people unsolicited coming into the office saying, ‘I really hope you'll run for both.’ So, I took that into serious consideration, and ran for both.”

Bizzarro said he wasn’t concerned about the burden of running in two different races, insisting “I can walk and chew gun at the same time.”

More on Bizzarro vs. Goring Goring claims state Rep. Bizzarro made threat. Bizzarro says GOP opponent 'bought' by PAC

As far as Tuesday’s results, he didn’t want to make any predictions.

“As confident as I feel, I'm not naïve enough to think that I have it in the bag or that anybody has it in the bag,” he said. “I'm going to continue to work hard in this race and in my House seat and in my capacity as a legislator. And we're just going to keep pushing until the 23rd.”

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Ryan Bizzarro aims to give larger voice to Erie PA as state treasurer