Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who is vying for the governorship this year, appeared on a podcast called “Ruthless” Thursday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia during an event hosted by Americans for Prosperity, Concerned Veterans for America, and the Libre Initiative.

Garrity, 61, a retired U.S. Army colonel and former corporate executive, began her portion of the podcast by discussing what led her to politics after a career in the military and the private sector, as well as her work as the state’s treasurer.

“I ran against somebody that actually ran the Constitution Center and who outspent me 11 to 1. I worked as hard as I could and we squeaked it out,” she said. “I always tell the young kids that I talk to, I was the first person in my family to go to college, very rural Pennsylvania, didn’t grow up with a lot, joined the military. Didn’t expect to spend over three decades in manufacturing. If I can do it, they can do anything.”

When asked for her views on manufacturing, she responded that “We’re getting trillions of dollars in investments back into America, so that’s going to bring manufacturing jobs back. Over 99 percent of manufacturing businesses are small businesses. My passion is the U.S. industrial base.”

“I am the fiscal watchdog for over 180 billion. We work for the people, they don’t work for us. Every single dollar came from a taxpayer, so we need to treat it like its their own. I’ve reduced fees and given back millions of dollars. I treat the office like it’s a business,” she continued.

You can watch the full podcast below. Garrity’s remarks begin around 1:07:

Garrity, who received an endorsement from President Donald Trump last week, also said “it’s best to cooperate” with ICE during an interview after the podcast, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

And if President Trump send more ICE agents to Pennsylvania, Garrity said Pennsylvania officials should cooperate here, too.

“It’s always good to cooperate with ICE, especially when they’re doing targeted actions,” she said.

Regarding the death of Alex Pretti in Minnesota, Garrity said she “always waits for the investigation” before forming an opinion.

“The investigation will come out, and then any corrective action that needs to be taken, or we’ll see what the results are,” she said. “I’m going to withhold any judgment until the investigation.”

Garrity also said Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, was “spot on” in his recent remarks calling for a de-escalation of the conflict between residents and federal officials in Minneapolis.

“He said it best: Cooperate and take down the rhetoric,” Garrity said.

Her opponent, Governor Josh Shapiro of Abington Township, called for ICE and the Border Patrol to leave Minneapolis during an interview last week with Good Morning America.

During an appearance earlier this month, Garrity said that “Josh Shapiro’s failures have driven us into mediocrity. I don’t accept mediocrity,” adding that “Pennsylvania ranks ninth in spending per student, yet we rank 39th in education nationally.”

Regarding SNAP requirements and voter roll inspections, she said “All of the red states have provided the voter rolls and all of the blue states have not. So I have to ask myself, ‘What is the reason for that?'”

You can listen to more of her remarks from that appearance below:

You can also listen to Garrity’s thoughts on how the Treasury’s work impacts schools, families and communities across Pennsylvania here.

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Screengrab: Youtube | Photos: Stacy Garrity