Gov. Josh Shapiro’s political action committee donated $1.38 million to state Democratic candidates in the months leading up to the Nov. 5 election.
Beneficiaries include attorney general candidate Eugene DePasquale and auditor general hopeful Malcolm Kenyatta. But notably, Shapiro’s PAC did not donate any money to Democrat Erin McClelland, who is trying to flip control of the Pennsylvania Treasury.
A spokesperson for Shapiro did not return a request for comment.
Shapiro’s PAC brought forward $4.9 million from 2023 and raised $9 million through Oct. 21, according to a recent campaign finance filing. That total was buoyed significantly after Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris considered him to be her running mate.
The PAC spent nearly $5 million through that date — including almost $307,000 to JET-A LLC, which charters private flights — and now has $8.9 million at its disposal. Pennsylvania’s next gubernatorial election is in 2026.
McClelland did not support Harris picking Shapiro as a running mate. In a post on X, she endorsed North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper over a candidate that “[swept] sexual harassment under the rug.” Many interpreted that post as nodding toward the sexual harassment allegations against Shapiro’s former legislative aide, Mike Vereb, that resulted in Vereb’s resignation.
State Sen. Sharif Street (D., Philadelphia), the Pennsylvania party chair, said he was “offended” by McClelland’s post.
A spokesperson for McClelland’s campaign did not return a request for comment. She previously told Spotlight PA that “any slight insinuation that there were issues” with the state party “would be incorrect.”
Shapiro has endorsed DePasquale and Kenyatta, who received $100,000 and $25,000 from his PAC, respectively. But he did not endorse McClelland, who has struggled to raise significant money.
McClelland, a former substance abuse and mental health counselor, scored an unexpected primary victory over state Rep. Ryan Bizzarro (D., Erie), who was endorsed by the party. She now faces incumbent Republican Treasurer Stacy Garrity, who has consistently outraised her.
Garrity is a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel who has touted her efforts to give back unclaimed property. She is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, the current Republican presidential nominee, and spoke at a 2021 rally that sought to cast doubt on the results of the 2020 election (she says she attended the event to critique the election process).
DePasquale, the state’s former auditor general, will face several candidates, including Republican Dave Sunday, York County’s district attorney. Sunday has received significant support from a PAC connected with Pennsylvania’s richest man. There is no incumbent in the race. Kenyatta, a state representative in Philadelphia, seeks to defeat incumbent Republican Auditor General Tim DeFoor.
Shapiro’s PAC also donated $1 million to the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee and $250,000 to the Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Campaign Committee. The former is trying to maintain Democrats’ one-seat majority in the state House, while the latter seeks to flip the state Senate from Republican control.
90.5 WESA partners with Spotlight PA, a collaborative, reader-funded newsroom producing accountability journalism for all of Pennsylvania. More at spotlightpa.org.
