The campaign finance report for Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, Democrat gubernatorial candidate, is tall enough to ride a rollercoaster. It would take 22 reams of paper to print all 10,983 pages of his most recent campaign finance report.
That’s 55 inches tall.
Within those pages are three contributions totaling $120,000 from the family of far-left billionaire George Soros, who has funded the campaigns of soft-on-crime district attorneys now in office in major cities across the nation.
On June 29, George Soros’ son, Jonathan Soros, who lives in New York, gave Shapiro $10,000. The next day, June 30, Jennifer Soros, Jonathan Soros’ wife, contributed $10,000. On Aug. 8, Andrea Soros, George Soros’ daughter, gave Shapiro $100,000.
The large number of special interest donations may explain why Shapiro has raised significantly more than state senator and Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano.
Although Mastriano has some large donations from Pennsylvania-based political action committees—$25,000 from Northeast Leadership Fund, a Republican PAC based in Wilkes-Barre, and $15,000 from Range Resources Energy Independence PAC, which is connected to Pennsylvania’s gas industry—most of Mastriano’s donations come in small amounts from individual donors.
He received $25 from a voter who lives in Shade Gap in Huntingdon County, $50 from someone in Palmyra in Lebanon County, and $30 from a voter in Phoenixville in Chester County.
Shapiro has small donors, too, but much of his money comes from out-of-state individuals with progressive political agendas. His donors are attached to groups like the Service Employees International Union; Swing Left, a political activism group; and Banking for Climate, an initiative of high net worth individuals asking their banks to stop funding fossil fuel expansion.
Spending Matters
Shapiro has proved himself as a well-connected Democrat fundraiser, with nearly $39 million raised for his campaign, compared to Mastriano’s $3.6 million raised.
While fundraising is vital for campaigning, it is not in the governor’s job description. Governors decide how to allocate money within the state budget.
By Beth Brelje