Tagpennsylvania

Stories about Pennsylvania

Democrats will have one-vote majority in Pennsylvania House of Representatives after state legislator resigns

Pennsylvania State Rep. Mike Zabel (D) announced on March 8 that he would resign from the legislature on March 16. Earlier this month, three women—State Rep. Abby Major (R), Zabel’s former campaign manager, and a lobbyist—each accused Zabel of sexually harassing them in separate incidents over the past several years.

In a series of text messages to the Associated Press after announcing his resignation, Zabel wrote, “Allegations of this nature are impossible to litigate in a public forum. It was always my intention to go through the Ethics Committee process and defend myself there. At this point, though, I am unwilling to put my loved ones through any more of this.”

After Zabel’s resignation, the partisan control of the Pennsylvania House will be 101 Democrats and 100 Republicans, with two vacancies. The other open district was last represented by Lynda Schlegel Culver (R), who won a special election to the state Senate on Jan. 31. State House Speaker Joanna McClinton (D) had set the special election for Schlegel Culver’s district for May 16th, which is the date of Pennsylvania’s statewide judicial primary. Steve Ulrich of Politics PA wrote that “The March 16 effective date of [Zabel’s]…resignation provides McClinton with the minimum 60 days needed to call for a special election for May 16.”

As a result of the 2022 elections, Democrats won 102 seats to Republicans’ 101. However, three seats that Democrats won became vacant at the start of the legislative session due to one member’s death and two members who resigned after also being elected to other offices. This gave Republicans a functional 101-99 seat majority. On January 3, the House elected Rep. Mark Rozzi (D) as speaker by a 115-85 vote, with all 99 Democrats and 16 Republicans voting to approve him for the position. After his election, Rozzi said, “The commonwealth that is home to Independence Hall will now be home to this commonwealth’s first independent speaker of the House. I pledge my allegiance and my loyalty to no interest in this building, to no interest in our politics. I pledge my loyalty to the people of the commonwealth.”

On Feb. 7, Democratic candidates won special elections in all three districts that became vacant after the 2022 elections, which gave Democrats 102 members and a majority in the chamber.

On Feb. 23, Rozzi released a set of proposed rules for the House given that the margin between the two parties was so small. Among his proposals was “making committee composition more proportional between the parties,” “fixing the discharge process so that a committee chairman cannot hold legislation hostage from a majority,” and “providing for increased protection against sexual harassment and discrimination in the House.” The House adopted this set of rules on March 1.

Rozzi stepped down as House speaker on Feb. 28, saying that he had accomplished what he had planned to do and he wanted to make way for McClinton’s election as the chamber’s first female speaker. McClinton was elected speaker that day.

All 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives are up for election every two years. Pennsylvania currently has a divided government as Democrats control the governorship, and Republicans have a 28-22 majority in the state Senate.



These 10 Pennsylvania contributors gave over $45.7 million

In Pennsylvania politics, state-level candidates and political action committees have received $1.2 billion in total contributions between Jan. 1, 2021, and Dec. 31, 2022. The 10 largest contributors gave more than $45.7 million, or 4 percent of all contributions.

These are the top 10 individual contributors to Pennsylvania state-level candidates and committees in the 2022 election cycle, according to campaign finance reports submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State:

Top 10 Pennsylvania Contributors (1/1/2021 – 12/31/2022)

Rank Contributor Name Total Contributions
1 Jeffrey Yass $22,020,000
2 Debra Ann and David J White $5,179,733
3 Dick Uihlien $4,250,000
4 Jennifer Duda $3,000,000
5 Jay Pritzker $2,365,000
6 Barry Munger and Sarah O’Neill $1,997,500
7 Dustin Moskovitz $1,900,000
8 Deborah Simon $1,863,000
9 Karla T Jurvetson $1,638,238
10 State Action Victory Fund $1,500,000

The list of Pennsylvania contributors in this time period includes more than 6,665 individuals identified by name in the Pennsylvania Department of State’s public records.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Pennsylvania committees submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal committees are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.



The top fundraisers among Pennsylvania statewide elected offices

Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.

While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.

This article lists top fundraisers among Pennsylvania statewide officeholders and candidates, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for statewide elected offices submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.

Statewide political positions are typically offices in the executive and judicial branches of government rather than the legislative, and they most often represent all citizens in the state, rather than those in a particular district.

Top Pennsylvania statewide fundraisers by party

The top fundraisers among Pennsylvania statewide officeholders and candidates are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable. If no office is indicated, the person was an incumbent and was not on the ballot in 2022.

In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Josh Shapiro (Governor) – $43,053,821
  • Austin Davis (House of Representatives, District 35) – $70,355
  • Brian Sims (Lieutenant Governor) – $15,067

In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Doug Mastriano (Governor) – $6,257,736
  • Carrie DelRosso (Lieutenant Governor) – $445,373
  • Jake Corman III (Governor) – $285,919
  • Stacy Garrity – $191,875
  • Scott Martin (Governor) – $67,783

Fundraising totals

Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $43.1 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $7.3 million. Combined, all statewide officeholders and candidates in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $50.4 million.

These were the only Democratic statewide executive fundraisers during this reporting period. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 99 percent of all Republican statewide officeholder and candidate fundraising.

The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.

TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – Pennsylvania STATEWIDE OFFICEHOLDERS AND CANDIDATES (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022)
Name Party Affiliation Office Sought Raised Spent
Governor Josh Shapiro Democratic Party Governor $43,053,821 $51,179,548
Senator Doug Mastriano Republican Party Governor $6,257,736 $5,620,184
Carrie DelRosso Republican Party Lieutenant Governor $445,373 $227,381
Jake Corman III Republican Party Governor $285,919 $324,660
Treasurer Stacy Garrity Republican Party Not on the 2022 ballot $191,875 $93,487
Lieutenant Governor Austin Davis Democratic Party House of Representatives $70,355 $26,297
Senator Scott Martin Republican Party Governor $67,783 $403,251
Bill McSwain Republican Party Governor $24,802 $84,224
Brian Sims Democratic Party Lieutenant Governor $15,067 $38,385
Auditor Timothy DeFoor Republican Party Not on the 2022 ballot $12,894 $8,501

Campaign finance reporting periods

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.



The top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania State Senate

Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.

While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.

This article lists top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania State Senate, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the State Senate submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.

Top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania State Senate by party

The top fundraisers in Pennsylvania State Senate elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.

In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Lindsey Williams (District 38) – $1,459,312
  • Vincent Hughes – $1,090,359
  • Nick Miller (District 14) – $981,711
  • Maria Collett (District 12) – $791,896
  • Jay Costa – $640,060

In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Doug Mastriano – $6,257,736
  • Tracy Pennycuick (District 24) – $2,563,504
  • Lori Mizgorski (District 38) – $1,976,057
  • Frank Farry (District 6) – $1,840,203
  • Rosemary Brown (District 40) – $1,306,182

Fundraising totals

Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $8.4 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $20.4 million. Combined, all State Senate fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $28.8 million.

The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 59 percent of all Democratic State Senate fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 68 percent of all Republican State Senate fundraising.

The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.

TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – PENNSYLVANIA STATE SENATE (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022)
Name Party Affiliation Raised Spent
Doug Mastriano Republican Party $6,257,736 $5,620,184
Tracy Pennycuick Republican Party $2,563,504 $1,583,923
Lori Mizgorski Republican Party $1,976,057 $1,100,470
Frank Farry Republican Party $1,840,203 $2,013,397
Lindsey Williams Democratic Party $1,459,312 $1,359,359
Rosemary Brown Republican Party $1,306,182 $953,802
Kim Ward Republican Party $1,195,485 $2,530,930
Vincent Hughes Democratic Party $1,090,359 $1,308,766
Nick Miller Democratic Party $981,711 $775,680
Maria Collett Democratic Party $791,896 $426,885

Campaign finance reporting periods

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.



The top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania House

Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political entities may contribute to campaigns.

While campaign finance is not the only factor in electoral outcomes, successful fundraising can provide a candidate with advantages during a campaign. Fundraising can also indicate party momentum.

This article lists top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, overall and by party. It is based on campaign finance reports that officeholders in and candidates for the House submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. It includes activity between July 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2022.

Top fundraisers in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives by party

The top fundraisers in Pennsylvania House of Representatives elections are shown below. Individuals are presented with the office that they were on the ballot for in 2022, if applicable.

In the Democratic Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Melissa Cerrato (District 151) – $1,086,078
  • Arvind Venkat (District 30) – $1,073,626
  • Matthew Bradford (District 70) – $897,975
  • Joanna McClinton (District 191) – $842,865
  • Mark Moffa (District 142) – $753,863

In the Republican Party, the top fundraisers in the most recent semiannual reporting period were:

  • Parke Wentling (District 7) – $921,768
  • Joseph Hogan (District 142) – $781,722
  • Cindy Kirk (District 30) – $777,381
  • Todd Stephens (District 151) – $733,983
  • Christopher Quinn (District 168) – $730,648

Fundraising totals

Overall, Democratic officeholders and candidates raised $17.5 million in this period. Republican officeholders and candidates raised $16.8 million. Combined, all House fundraisers in the July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022, filing period raised $34.4 million.

The five largest Democratic fundraisers were responsible for 27 percent of all Democratic House fundraising. The five largest Republican fundraisers were responsible for 23 percent of all Republican House fundraising.

The table below provides additional data from the campaign finance reports from the top 10 fundraisers during this period.

TOP 10 FUNDRAISERS – PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (July 1, 2022, through Dec. 31, 2022)
Name Party Affiliation Raised Spent
Melissa Cerrato Democratic Party $1,086,078 $410,188
Arvind Venkat Democratic Party $1,073,626 $1,268,885
Parke Wentling Republican Party $921,768 $301,207
Matthew Bradford Democratic Party $897,975 $965,198
Joanna McClinton Democratic Party $842,865 $1,235,056
Joseph Hogan Republican Party $781,722 $140,112
Cindy Kirk Republican Party $777,381 $210,908
Mark Moffa Democratic Party $753,863 $380,619
Todd Stephens Republican Party $733,983 $884,404
Christopher Quinn Republican Party $730,648 $469,612

Campaign finance reporting periods

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that candidate committees submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Candidate committees represent individuals who have run for state or local office at any point, including past and present officeholders. This article does not include non-candidate committees. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.



Democrats win Feb. 7 Pennsylvania House special elections

On Feb. 7, 2023, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives held elections to fill vacancies in Districts 32, 34, and 35.

The districts opened up following the Nov. 8, 2022, elections when one incumbent died and the other two were elected to different offices.

  • In District 32, Joe McAndrew (D) defeated Clay Walker (R). McAndrew is a former director of the Allegheny Democratic Committee. Walker is an Army veteran and, at the time of the election, a pastor. Incumbent Anthony DeLuca (D) died on Oct. 9, 2022. His name remained on the ballot, and he was re-elected, creating a vacancy on Jan. 3, 2023, when members were sworn in.
  • In District 34, Abigail Salisbury (D) defeated Robert Pagane (R). Salisbury ran her own practice and was previously a law professor. Pagane is a former law enforcement officer. Incumbent Summer Lee (D) won re-election but also won election to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Lee resigned on Dec. 7, 2022, in preparation for the office change.
  • In District 35, Matthew Gergely (D) defeated Don Nevills (R). At the time of the election, Gergely served as the McKeesport chief finance officer. Before that, Gergely served as a McKeesport school board member. At the time of the election, Nevills owned and operated a tattoo parlor and candy shop. Incumbent Austin Davis (D) won re-election but also won election as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. Davis resigned on Dec. 7, 2022, in preparation for the office change.

Democrats won a 102 to 101 majority in the chamber on Nov. 8, 2022, giving them majority control for the first time since 2010. However, Republicans gained a functional 101-99 majority when the legislative session began in early January because of the vacancies in Districts 32, 34, and 35.

When McAndrew, Salisbury, and Gergely are sworn in, House Democrats will have a 102-100 majority (with one vacancy).

The timing of the elections was the subject of a legal dispute. Under Pennsylvania law, the majority leader schedules state legislative special elections. In December 2022, Democrat Joanna McClinton scheduled the three special elections for February 7. McClinton said she was sworn in as majority leader on Dec. 7 on the grounds that Democrats won more districts on Election Day. Republican Bryan Cutler said McClinton’s swearing-in was not legitimate because Democrats did not have a majority and said he was sworn in as majority leader on Dec. 12. House Republicans filed a lawsuit Dec. 9 challenging the timing of the Districts 34 and 35 elections and alleging McClinton did not have the power to schedule the elections. 

Both Republicans and Democrats agreed to hold the District 32 election on Feb. 7.

On Jan. 13, 2023, the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that all three elections should happen on Feb. 7.



Pennsylvania House adjourns, package of constitutional amendments won’t appear on the May ballot

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives adjourned on January 24, 2023, affecting a package of three constitutional amendments that could have appeared on ballot for May 16, 2023. 

According to the Department of State, the Pennsylvania General Assembly needed to have the amendments passed by Friday, January 27, to appear on the May ballot. The deadline in the Pennsylvania Constitution to pass and advertise the proposed amendments is February 16, and according to the Department of State, the Legislature needed to have already passed the package of amendments in order to give the newspapers time to advertise them.

The next possible election for the amendments to be placed on the ballot for Pennsylvania voters is the November 2023 general election.

The three amendments were passed in the previous legislative session at different periods. The first amendment would create a two-year period for individuals to file civil suits regarding childhood sexual abuse that have otherwise exceeded the statute of limitations. This was introduced as House Bill 14 (HB 14) and passed both the Pennsylvania House and Senate in March of 2021.

The other two amendments were part of a package of five amendments, known as Senate Bill 106 (SB 106), that passed in July 2022. Two of these amendments—one requiring voters to present a voter ID when casting their ballot, and another that allows the state legislature to pass concurrent resolutions, which the governor cannot veto, to disapprove of regulations—were packaged with the amendment regarding child sexual abuse lawsuits as Senate Bill 1 (SB 1). SB 1 passed the Senate on January 11, 2023. Twenty-eight senators, 27 Republicans and 1 Democrat, voted for the package, while 20 senators, all of them Democrats, voted against the package (1 Democrat did not vote). The package of amendments was passed by the Senate, but the process came to a stalemate in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R) said, “There is no reason for the House of Representatives to reject Senate Bill 1 — unless whoever is running the House of Representatives seems to think there’s a political reason that two of the three questions should not be put before the voters.”

Pennsylvania House Speaker Mark Rozzi (D), said that the amendment regarding child sexual abuse lawsuits should be passed individually. “If it gets on the ballot, it’s going to be on the ballot by itself, not with these other constitutional amendments,” said Rozzi.

Currently, in Pennsylvania, the Democratic Party controls the governor’s office, while the Republican Party controls the State Senate. Neither party controls a majority of seats in the House. Republicans hold a plurality of seats. There are 101 Republicans and 99 Democrats in the House, with a Democrat serving as House speaker. There are 3 vacancies in the House of Representatives, which will be filled with special elections occurring in Allegheny County on February 7. If Democrats win those seats, Democrats will have a majority – 102 seats – in the House.

In Pennsylvania, constitutional amendments require legislative approval during two successive legislative sessions before they’re referred to the ballot for voters to decide. Because these amendments were approved by both chambers of the state legislature in the last legislative session, and by the Senate in this session, they would need to pass the House before they could appear on the ballot.

Due to the adjournment of the House and the passing of the Department of State deadline, the earliest election for these amendments to appear on the ballot is during the November 2023 general election.

The House is expected to reconvene on February 27, 2023.



Special elections to fill three vacancies in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives scheduled for February 7

Special elections to fill vacancies in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Districts 32, 34, and 35 are scheduled for February 7, 2023. The Allegheny County Democratic Party voted to nominate the District 32 candidate on December 11 and the District 34 and 35 candidates on December 17. The Republican Committee of Allegheny County nominated the Republican candidates on December 17.

In District 32, Joe McAndrew (D) and Clay Walker (R) are running. McAndrew is a former director of the Allegheny Democratic Committee. Walker is a pastor and Army veteran. Incumbent Anthony DeLuca (D) died on October 9, 2022. His name remained on the ballot, and he was re-elected, creating a vacancy on January 3, 2023, when members were sworn in.

In District 34, Abigail Salisbury (D) and Robert Pagane (R) are running. Salisbury is a former law professor who started her own practice. Pagane is a former law enforcement officer. Incumbent Summer Lee (D) won re-election but also won election to represent Pennsylvania’s 12th Congressional District. Lee resigned on December 7, 2022, in preparation for the office change.

In District 35, Matthew Gergely (D) and Don Nevills (R) are running. Gergely serves as the McKeesport chief finance officer, and formerly served as a McKeesport school board member. Nevills owned and operated a tattoo parlor and candy shop. Incumbent Austin Davis (D) won re-election but also won election as lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Davis resigned on December 7, 2022, in preparation for the office change.

According to CNAlysis, all three vacant districts voted for President Joe Biden (D) by margins of more than 15 percentage points in 2020.

On November 8, 2022, Democrats won 102 seats to Republicans’ 101. But because three seats that Democrats won became vacant, Republicans had a functional 101-99 seat majority going into the start of the legislative session. Under Pennsylvania law, the majority leader schedules state legislative special elections. In December 2022, Democrat Joanna McClinton scheduled the three special elections for February 7. McClinton said she was sworn in as majority leader on December 7 because Democrats won more districts on Election Day. Republican Bryan Cutler said McClinton’s swearing-in was not legitimate because Democrats did not have a majority and said he was sworn in as majority leader on December 12. House Republicans filed a lawsuit December 9 challenging the timing of the Districts 34 and 35 elections and alleging McClinton did not have the power to schedule the elections.

Both Republicans and Democrats agreed to hold the District 32 election on February 7.

On January 3, 2023, members of the chamber elected Rep. Mark Rozzi (D) as Speaker of the House with a 115-85 vote. On January 5, Rozzi issued orders affirming February 7 as the date for the Districts 34 and 35 elections. The case was pending before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court at the time Rozzi issued his orders.



These Pennsylvania State Senate candidates raised the most money and lost

Elections for 26 of 49 seats in the Pennsylvania State Senate took place on Nov. 8, 2022. Republicans held a 27-22 majority heading into the election.

This article details the five candidates who raised the most money and lost their election. In the 2022 election cycle, 22 of 26 general elections were contested. The losing candidates are shown along with the percentage of the vote they received compared to the winner. In cases where the race was pushed to a runoff, vote percentages for both advancing candidates are included.

State Senate candidates who raised the most money and lost their general election

This information comes from candidate reports to the Pennsylvania Department of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2021, through Oc. 24, 2022.

The candidates who raised the most money and lost their election were:

  • Lori Mizgorski – $1,465,818 – District 38 (Lost general 44% – 56%)
  • Jessica Florio – $594,028 – District 44 (Lost general 46% – 54%)
  • Ann Marie Mitchell – $544,686 – District 6 (Lost general 45% – 53%)
  • Dean Browning – $391,958 – District 14 (Lost general 47% – 53%)
  • Jill Dennin – $338,207 – District 24 (Lost general 48% – 52%)

State Senate candidates who raised the most money and lost their general election last cycle

This information comes from candidate reports to the Pennsylvania Department of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2020.

The candidates who raised the most money and lost their election were:

  • Pam Iovino – $3,731,415 – District 37 (Lost general 48% – 52%)
  • George Scott – $3,065,858 – District 15 (Lost general 48% – 52%)
  • Thomas Killion – $2,716,746 – District 9 (Lost general 48% – 52%)
  • Julie Slomski – $2,288,381 – District 49 (Lost general 40% – 60%)
  • Janet Diaz – $2,231,839 – District 13 (Lost general 44% – 56%)

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Pennsylvania PACs submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.



These Pennsylvania State House candidates raised the most money and lost

Elections for all 203 seats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took place on Nov. 8, 2022. Republicans held a 101-99 majority heading into the election.

This article details the five candidates who raised the most money and lost their election. In the 2022 election cycle, 136 of 203 general elections were contested. The losing candidates are shown along with the percentage of the vote they received compared to the winner. In cases where the race was pushed to a runoff, vote percentages for both advancing candidates are included.

House candidates who raised the most money and lost their general election

This information comes from candidate reports to the Pennsylvania Department of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2021, through Oct. 24, 2022.

The candidates who raised the most money and lost their election were:

  • Todd Stephens – $829,929 – District 151 (Lost general 50% – 50%)
  • Mark Moffa – $725,158 – District 142 (Lost general 50% – 50%)
  • Christopher Quinn – $696,491 – District 168 (Lost general 45% – 55%)
  • F. Todd Polinchock – $597,569 – District 144 (Lost general 49% – 51%)
  • Cindy Kirk – $595,582 – District 30 (Lost general 45% – 55%)

House candidates who raised the most money and lost their general election last cycle

This information comes from candidate reports to the Pennsylvania Department of State covering the period of Jan. 1, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2020.

The candidates who raised the most money and lost their election were:

  • Deb Ciamacca – $3,144,306 – District 168 (Lost general 49% – 51%)
  • Harold Hayes – $2,739,342 – District 18 (Lost general 48% – 52%)
  • Lissa Geiger Shulman – $2,126,001 – District 30 (Lost general 45% – 55%)
  • Frank Dermody – $1,994,286 – District 33 (Lost general 49% – 51%)
  • Ann Marie Mitchell – $1,729,229 – District 178 (Lost general 45% – 55%)

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active Pennsylvania PACs submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State. Political expenditures that are not controlled by candidates or their campaigns, known as satellite spending, are not included in candidate totals. Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines.

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.