In Pennsylvania, voters head to the polls every two years to cast their ballots in important elections for the state. But how well do you know your elected officials? Could you name the major ones? Today, we’re helping you better know your prominent statewide leaders, including an overview of who supported their campaign accounts during the 2020 election cycle.
Governor Tom Wolf (D)
Tom Wolf is a businessman who was elected Governor for his first term in 2014, ousting then-incumbent Tom Corbett. Wolf won reelection in 2018 by defeating Republican State Senator Scott Wagner by nearly 17 points. He will be term-limited in 2022, preventing him from seeking a third term in office.
According to the most recent reports filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, *, Wolf’s Wolf PAC has been among the most prominent PACs in the state in terms of fundraising, with a total of $4,898,710 raised in the 2020 election cycle. The PAC’s top donor was Wolf himself, who contributed $550,000 to his own campaign. In addition to Wolf, Joseph M. Field, founder of Entercom Communications Corp., also contributed $500,500 to the PAC.
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman (D)
John Fetterman is the former mayor of Braddock and the incumbent Lieutenant Governor for Pennsylvania, having won his first term in office in 2018. In that race, Fetterman emerged from a five-person primary field, which included then-incumbent Mike Stack, to claim the Democratic nomination. Fetterman went on to claim election in November 2018 as a member of the Democratic ticket.
Since 2017, Fetterman’s campaign has reported $825,428 in contributions, with the largest share of his contributions — $138,142.49 — coming as itemized unaggregated contributions, meaning those contributions were given in the amount of $50 or less. Outside of those contributions, Karl D. Fetterman was the candidate’s second largest donor, contributing $41,200 to his campaign. For the 2020 cycle, Fetterman’s contributions totaled $59,791.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D)
Josh Shapiro is serving as Pennsylvania’s Attorney General, following his close reelection victory over Republican Heather Heidelbaugh in the state’s 2020 election. Before winning his first term as Attorney General in 2016, Shapiro served as chairman of the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors.
According to the most recent reports, Shapiro raised $8,473,817 during the 2020 election cycle, with his top contributions coming from the Democratic Attorneys General Association state account and the Democratic Attorneys General Association Federal account, in the amounts of $740,000 and $625,000, respectively.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity (R)
Stacy Garrity is serving as Pennsylvania’s new State Treasurer after claiming the job from Democrat Joseph Torsella in November. She is the first Republican since 1994 to unseat a statewide Democrat in Pennsylvania. Prior to winning the election last year, Garrity served in the U.S. Army from 1986 until 2016.
According to our data, Garrity raised $637,608 for her campaign during the 2020 election cycle, with $214,018.71 coming from the Republican Party of Pennsylvania. The Republican State Leadership Committee PAC & Individual Account also contributed $89,563.63 to her campaign.
State Auditor General Timothy DeFoor (R)
Timothy DeFoor is serving as Pennsylvania’s new State Auditor General after winning an open race for the position in 2020. DeFoor, prior to winning the election in 2020, served as Dauphin County Controller.
According to state data, DeFoor raised $1,771,829 during the 2020 election cycle. His top contributor during the 2020 election cycle was Commonwealth Leaders Fund, which contributed $1,402,900 to DeFoor’s campaign. Additionally, the Republican Party of Pennsylvania contributed $268,819.33 to DeFoor’s campaign.
All available campaign finance data through the end of 2020 is included in the Transparency USA database. For more about the state-level officeholders and candidates in Pennsylvania, please visit this link. Search for any candidate, PAC, or donor in Pennsylvania here.