PITTSUBURGH — Stacy Garrity continues to hammer Gov. Josh Shapiro's rising national profile as she looks to take over the executive seat in Harrisburg.

The Republican state treasurer, who launched a bid for governor this summer, blasted this week's news of Mr. Shapiro's memoir from Harper, which comes before the governor has announced a widely-expected re-election run and as he's often cited as a potential Democratic contender for the White House in 2028. Her comments also come as agencies and local governments, schools and nonprofits await a contentious and long-delayed state budget.

"Pennsylvania is broke, but Shapiro got a book deal," Ms. Garrity posted on social media Wednesday evening. "If it's about accomplishments, you can bet it's a short story. And if it's a 'how-to' guide on passing a budget, then the pages are probably blank."

Ms. Garrity's campaign team shared in a news release and over social media a series of apparently AI-generated images serving as mock book covers roasting Mr. Shapiro. The titles included, "In Pursuit of Incompetence: How my policies line up with Joe Biden's," "Walking in Biden's Shadow: My plan to bring back Bidenomics and open borders," and "Two Men, One Vision," each featuring a photo of the governor alongside the former president.

"Shapiro is more focused on running for president than helping hardworking Pennsylvania families," Ms. Garrity said on X. "And it shows: under Shapiro's watch, Pennsylvania ranks near the bottom in the nation for our economy, taxes, and education. The sooner we can get Shapiro out of Harrisburg the better."

Ms. Garrity, a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel and businesswoman from Bradford County, similarly attacked Mr. Shapiro when she announced her campaign and at stops across Pennsylvania.

Her pointed criticism on the state budget stalemate and her office's loan program to help nonprofits, counties and agencies in the interim, come as polls suggest one of Ms. Garrity's biggest challenges is name recognition.

In a recent Quinnipiac University poll of more than 1,500 Pennsylvania voters, 58% percent said they had a favorable view of Mr. Shapiro, compared to 13% for Ms. Garrity, with 73% saying they have not yet heard enough about her.

Sixty percent of voters said they approve of Mr. Shapiro's performance, including 93% of Democrats, 66% of independents and 28% of Republicans, the poll showed.

Voters favored the governor 55%-39% in a matchup with Ms. Garrity.

Mr. Shapiro was similarly favored in the poll 56%-39% when on the ballot against state Sen. Doug Mastriano, whom the governor beat by almost 15 percentage points in 2022 and who continues to float a potential GOP primary run.

A survey by Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-affiliated firm based in North Carolina, before the Garrity campaign's first major swing through the state showed 39% of Republican primary voters picking Mr. Mastriano over Mr. Shapiro, compared to 20% favoring Ms. Garrity.

She acknowledged in a visit just outside of Pittsburgh last month that defeating Mr. Shapiro — a widely popular governor, former attorney general and state representative — "won't be easy."

A spokesman for the governor's campaign team declined to comment on Ms. Garrity's critique of the Shapiro book. Mr. Shapiro plans to help fellow Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls in campaign and fundraising events in the coming days, with appearances in New Jersey for Rep. Mikie Sherrill on Saturday and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in Virginia on Sunday.

The state budget remains at a standstill more than 100 days after the constitutional deadline of June 30. Mr. Shapiro initially proposed a $51.1 billion budget in February. He has pinned the impasse on the Republican-controlled state Senate, where GOP leaders say the Democrats' spending plan is excessive to the tune of at least $2 billion.

Mr. Shapiro's memoir, "Where We Keep the Light: Stories From a Life of Service," releases on Jan. 27. Harper said the book "shares powerful stories about his family, his faith, and his career in public service."

The book will touch not only on Mr. Shapiro's rise from the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and days as a state representative and attorney general, but also his tenure as governor.

The memoir will also deal with the arson attack in April against him and his family at the governor's residence in Harrisburg, which along with an attempted assassination of President Donald Trump in Butler last year, has placed Mr. Shapiro at the center of national discussions on increased political polarization and violence that he has vehemently denounced.

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