With less than a month until election day, Pennsylvania statewide election campaigns are in the home stretch. This year, Pennsylvanians will cast votes for Attorney General, Auditor General and State Treasurer.
For Attorney General, incumbent Democrat Josh Shapiro is up against Republican challenger Heather Heidelbaugh. Shapiro is running on his popularity and his accomplishments from his first term, most notably combatting the Opioid Crisis, his grad jury investigation into child sex abuse in the Catholic Church and protecting healthcare against attacks from President Donald Trump. Shapiro also has significantly more name recognition and national party support than Heidelbaugh. Heidelbaugh, a resident of Pittsburgh, is a native of St. Louis, Mo., and a graduate of University of Missouri Law School. Her campaign is focusing on fighting corruption and special interest in state government, the Opioid Crisis and consumer protection. Perhaps the most notable part of Heidelbaugh’s campaign is her promise to serve her full-term as Attorney General. It is well known that Shapiro aspires to run for governor in 2022, which would allow him to appoint his own replacement for Attorney General. Yet, latest polls are showing a significant lead for Shapiro at 53 percent over Heidelbaugh’s 38 percent.
With current Auditor General Eugene DePasquale running for US Congress in PA-10, the race for Auditor General has no incumbent. Democrat Nina Ahmad and Republican Timothy DeFoor have emerged from their respective primaries. Ahmad says her background in witnessing corruption and violence in her home country of Bangladesh and the organizing of Americans to help bring an end to it is what motivates her to run for Auditor General. Her campaign website also highlights her service to former President Barack Obama as a member of the National Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, advising on key issues affecting the health, employment and well-being of those communities. Timothy DeFoor, a former special investigator focusing on fraud and corruption with the PA Inspector General and Attorney General’s offices, is running on his experience with the aspirations to make the government more transparent and accountable. During his time as Dauphin County Controller, he saved and recovered over 1 million USD in taxpayer dollars during his first term, according to his campaign website. DeFoor is also a member of several community organizations in Pittsburgh, including the Greater Harrisburg Area National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Fraternal Order of Police. This election is truly historic as either candidate will become the first person of color to serve in statewide office in Pennsylvania. Currently, Ahmad leads DeFoor 46 percent to 40 percent.
Another important race is State Treasurer. Incumbent Democrat Joe Torsella is facing Republican Stacy Garrity. The Torsella campaign is focused on his work promoting transparency in government spending and protecting the savings and retirement account of older Pennsylvania. Torsella has previously served as President and CEO of the National Constitution Center and as the US Ambassador to the UN for Management and Reform under President Obama. Garrity, a Gulf War and Iraq War veteran, is seeking to oust Torsella and wants to return Pennsylvania tax dollars back to taxpayers and make education more affordable in Pennsylvania. Garrity trails at 41 percent to Torsella’s 47 percent (with 10 percent of voters still undecided).
In other news, Pat Toomey (R) has declared he will not seek reelection for the US Senate in 2022. He has also claimed he will not run for Governor of Pennsylvania. With no prominent Republican slated to succeed him, his retirement sets the stage for a brawl as Democrats attempt to reclaim Senator Toomey’s seat from the Republicans.
