Your guide to candidates in PA’s Senate race, attorney general and other statewide contests
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2024 PA election guide
Election Day is Nov. 5. Voters must apply for an absentee or mail-in ballot by by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Find candidate and election information below, including material from the League of Women Voters of Centre County’s Voters Guide, along with partner content from Spotlight PA and CDT stories.
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Pennsylvania US Senator
Description of office: The U.S. Constitution prescribes that the Senate be composed of 100 members (two Senators from each state). One third of the total membership of the Senate is elected every two years. A Senator must be at least 30 years of age, a citizen of the United States for at least nine years and be a resident of the State from which s/he is chosen at the time of the election. Senators write and vote in favor of or against final bills and serve on various policy committees. The Senate has several exclusive powers not granted to the House including advice/consent on presidential nominations and treaties and conducting the trial of federal officials impeached by the House.
Term: 6 years
Salary: $174,000
Vote for ONE.
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Party: Democratic
County: Lackawanna
Occupation: U.S. Senator
Education: B.A. College of the Holy Cross and J.D. Catholic University of America
Qualifications: Senator Bob Casey is one of Pennsylvania’s two sitting senators and has a record of delivering for Pennsylvanians. He has helped create thousands of good-paying jobs in the Commonwealth, lowered costs for families and seniors, secured our rights, and fought for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable.
Campaign website: bobcasey.com
Facebook: facebook.com/BobCaseyJr
X: @Bob_Casey
Instagram: www.instagram.com/bobcaseyjr
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
A: I’m fighting for our rights, lower costs for working families, economic freedom for workers, and our country’s children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities. I see each of these fights as critical for our country. I’ve supported legislation to defend democracy, protect a woman’s right to choose, and a worker’s right to organize. I’m holding big corporations accountable for greedflation and raising prices on working people while they rake in record profits. I’ve helped pass legislation that will create tens of thousands of new jobs in Pennsylvania and saved pensions for tens of thousands of workers. I also helped pass the PACT to provide care to veterans who have suffered after being exposed to toxic burn pits.
Q: What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
A: I support increasing ethical standards in Washington and reducing conflicts of interest to hold government officials to the high standards that Americans expect of them. I’m an original co-sponsor of the For The People Act, which would increase restrictions on coordination between Super PACs and candidates. I also co-sponsored and helped pass the Stock Act, which banned members of Congress from trading stocks based on non-public information and I back efforts to stop members from trading stocks entirely. I believe all of these steps aimed at increasing transparency and accountability will help make our Congress work better for Americans. I will continue to fight for greater transparency in politics.
Q: What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
A: I am working hard to protect the fundamental right to vote from extreme MAGA Republicans across the country who are trying to erect new barriers to voting. I co-sponsored the Freedom to Vote Act to ensure every American can access the ballot box on an equal basis, including by setting minimum standards for early and mail voting, modernizing voter registration, and ending partisan gerrymandering. I am also an original co-sponsor of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which would ensure that voters in states with a history of voting rights violations have equal access to voting as all other Americans. In addition, I sponsored the Accessible Voting Act of 2021 to make it easier for seniors and those living with a disability to vote.
Q: How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
A: I believe we must protect our interests abroad with diplomatic engagement, working with allies, and foreign assistance, coupled with our national security apparatus. Our Nation is currently facing immense national security challenges, including competing with China, combating climate change alongside global allies, fighting terrorism, countering Russia’s aggression, supporting our ally in Israel and providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, and combating the threat of nuclear terrorism. I have worked to address these challenges as a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, where I have pursued a national security strategy that protects our interests, promotes human rights throughout the world, and supports those who serve our country.
Dave McCormick
Party: Republican
County: Allegheny
Campaign website: davemccormickpa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DaveMcCormickPA
Did not respond to questions.
John C. Thomas
Party: Libertarian
County Armstrong
Occupation: Educator
Education: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Qualifications Dedication to Liberty
Campaign website: linktr.ee/johnthomaspa
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=100090842456490
Instagram: www.instagram.com/johnthomaspa
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
A: The most pressing issue is the loss of liberty due to the ever increasing size of the federal government. We lose economic liberties when the government prints money, devaluing our currency. We lose civil liberties when the government works with tech companies to police speech. We lose personal liberties when the government spies on us. This process is accelerated by America’s involvement in foreign wars. We address these problems by getting back to the Constitution. The only wars America should be involved in are those posing a direct threat, declared by Congress. The only spending should be that directly authorized by Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution. Every Amendment, especially those of the Bill of Rights, should be protected.
Q: What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
A: The United States Senate is a cartel of political elites, focused on extracting power and wealth from regular Americans and giving it to their cronies. I do not want them to be efficient or effective. We need Senators who are willing to slow the process. I will do all that I can to block the legislation elites use to make Washington more powerful at the expense of Pennsylvanians’ liberty. As long as the Senate is controlled by elites of the two major political parties, we should work to make them as inefficient as possible.
Q: What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
A: Elections are a state issue. I am running for a federal office. I would block any legislation that would strip states of their rights to determine how to run elections. I would prefer that Pennsylvania pass voter ID laws, so every legal vote counts, and no votes are offset by illegal votes. However, I am not running for the PA legislature, so that is just the personal opinion of a PA citizen.
Q: How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
A: The US is too involved in internal affairs of foreign states. United States Senators should be focused on getting America to be less involved in international affairs. Pennsylvanians are going broke, as our resources are making foreign bureaucrats rich. I would work to keep resources here in PA, so that we can be peaceful and prosperous.
Leila Hazou
Party: Green
County: Pike
Occupation: Business Owner
Education: MBA
Qualifications: A concerned American that wants to see change for the good of the people.
Campaign website: leilaforsenate.com
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558366941475
Instagram: www.instagram.com/leilaforsenate
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
A: The economy - we need to stop funding wars across the globe and spend our money here at home. Human rights - everyone deserves basic human rights and all people must have total control over their own bodies and their health. The environment - we need to move away from fossil fuels and build clean energy infrastructure. Healthcare and housing - every American should have healthcare and housing. If we stop spending $800 billion per year in defense, we can easily guarantee this.
Q: What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
A: Remove money from our politics. Corporate and special interest lobby money shouldn’t determine policy.
Q: What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
A: We need to pass the John Lewis Act to modernize and revitalize the Voting Rights Act by strengthening legal protections against discriminatory voting policies. We need to ensure that our technology and methods are secure so that voters have confidence in election outcomes.
Q: How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
A: The US needs to be a model for peace, not for endless wars and regime change.
Bernard Selker
Party: Constitution
County: Clarion
Occupation: Truck driver
Campaign website: www.martyselkerforsenate.com
Facebook: facebook.com/bernardselker
Q: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing the country, and how would you address them?
A: The most pressing issues facing our country are the erosion of constitutional liberties, fiscal irresponsibility, and federal overreach. As your U.S. Senator, I will fight to restore our rights to free speech, religious freedom, and the Second Amendment, while cutting wasteful federal spending and balancing the budget. I’ll work to return power to the states, allowing them to manage their own affairs without intrusive federal interference.
Q: What changes, if any, would you support that would help Congress function more efficiently and effectively?
A: To make Congress function more efficiently and effectively, I would support several key changes. First, implementing term limits for members of Congress would reduce career politicians’ influence and encourage fresh perspectives. Second, I advocate for a return to a strict adherence to the Constitution, ensuring that legislation is within the federal government’s enumerated powers. Third, reducing the size and scope of government by eliminating unnecessary agencies and programs would streamline congressional focus. Lastly, I would push for transparency and accountability, ensuring that bills are thoroughly reviewed and understood before being passed, allowing for informed decision-making and reducing wasteful legislation.
Q: What legislation would you support to protect voting rights and safeguard access to free and fair elections?
A: To protect voting rights and ensure free and fair elections, I would support legislation that upholds the integrity of the electoral process while safeguarding individual liberties. This includes implementing voter ID laws to prevent fraud, ensuring that all eligible voters have access to identification. Additionally, I advocate for measures that enhance transparency, such as requiring paper ballots or secure, verifiable electronic systems. I also support decentralizing election oversight, empowering states to manage their own processes without undue federal interference, thereby preserving the integrity of each state’s election system.
Q: How do you view the role of the US in responding to challenges facing the international community?
A: I believe the role of the U.S. in responding to international challenges should be grounded in a policy of non-interventionism and respect for national sovereignty. Our focus should be on maintaining a strong national defense to protect our own borders while avoiding entangling alliances and unnecessary foreign conflicts. The U.S. should prioritize diplomacy and trade over military intervention, seeking peaceful solutions that respect the rights of other nations to govern themselves. By leading through example, promoting liberty, and supporting free markets, we can positively influence the world without imposing our will through force.
Pennsylvania Attorney General
Description of office: The basic duties of the Attorney General, as outlined by the Commonwealth Attorneys Act, are to: serve as the Commonwealth’s chief law enforcement officer; collect all debts, taxes, and accounts due to the Commonwealth; represent the Commonwealth and all its agencies in any action brought by or against the Commonwealth; administer the provision relating to consumer protection laws; and represent the Commonwealth and its citizens in any action brought about for violation of the antitrust laws.
Term: 4 years
Salary: $197,748
Vote for ONE.
Eugene DePasquale
Party: Democratic
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Attorney/adjunct professor
Education: BA from The College of Wooster (OH), an MPA from the University of Pittsburgh and a JD from Widener University School of Law.
Qualifications: Eugene DePasquale is the former two-term Auditor General of Pennsylvania. Prior to his tenure as Auditor General, DePasquale was a three-term member of the state General Assembly representing the 95th District.
Campaign Website: depasqualeforag.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DePasqualePA
Q: What are your top three priorities to address as Attorney General?
A: My top priorities are protecting our democracy, defending reproductive freedom, and protecting against corporate greed. Protecting our Democracy is the greatest task and potential crisis we face - which the Attorney General will be front and center on. Reproductive freedoms are under attack across the country. From when to choose not to have a family through abortion to when to choose to have a family through IVF treatments, I believe Pennsylvanians should have the freedom to make those decisions for themselves. As Attorney General, I will be your legal advocate against corporate greed. I will crack down on businesses and CEOs taking advantage of consumers and help defend workers from wage theft, stop price gouging, and close tax loopholes.
Q: What specific challenges does the Pennsylvania criminal justice system face, and how would you address them?
A: As Attorney General, I will work with law enforcement to protect our communities by investing in prevention tactics and holding those who threaten our safety accountable. I will work to restore trust between residents and local law enforcement to ensure our police can best serve and protect the Commonwealth.
Q: What do you see as the primary challenges to achieving equality under the law?
A: There are so many places that we have challenges achieving equality under the law, including LGBTQ protections, the criminalization of addiction, and disparities in how the law treats people of different races and ethnicities. As Attorney General, I would enforce the law equally, but also advocate for changes in the law that gave Pennsylvanians greater protections from these inequalities.
Dave Sunday
Party: Republican
County: York
Occupation District Attorney
Education: Finance Degree, Penn State, 2002 & Juris Doctorate, Widener Law, 2007
Qualifications: Dave Sunday is the twice elected District Attorney of York County. He started as a line prosecutor & prior to his election rose to Chief Deputy Prosecutor of Litigation where he supervised Major Crime cases and the Felony Narcotics Unit. Under his watch crime & recidivism has dropped in York County.
Campaign website: davesundayforag.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DaveSundayforDistrictAttorney
X: @DaveSunday_
Q: What are your top three priorities to address as Attorney General?
A: Addressing the Fentanyl epidemic by coordinating with our federal partners and local prosecutors and law enforcement to target the organizations that traffic it to our communities. -Ensuring our seniors and consumers are protected from fraud by using the tools at our disposal to target those who prey on Pennsylvanians. -Protecting our youth from exploitation.
Q: What specific challenges does the Pennsylvania criminal justice system face, and how would you address them?
A: Our criminal justice system is in need of focus. For too long I believe Attorneys General in Pennsylvania have tried to expand the office and use it to wage political culture war fights which distracts from the core mission of the office. I want to refocus it on the things that it is empowered to do by targeting organized crime and the drug epidemic, protecting our seniors and youth from fraud and exploitation and protect our consumers. We must also bring our resources to bear in communities that are being hit particularly hard by crime. Using our concurrent jurisdiction and building partnerships with our local officials I believe this can be accomplished
Q: What do you see as the primary challenges to achieving equality under the law?
A: Inequal application of the law is a major challenge. Prosecutors who put their own personal agendas and beliefs ahead of the written law create a situation where what is a punishable crime in one jurisdiction is not in a neighboring one. This sends the wrong message to offenders and the community. Our criminal justice system and our entire society is built on the idea of Equal Justice Under the Law. When that principle is broken faith in our institutions is shattered and chaos and lawlessness follow.
Robert Cowburn
Party: Libertarian
County: Allegheny
Occuptation: Attorney
Campaign website: cowburnforag.com
Did not respond to questions.
Richard L. Weiss
Party: Green
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Lawyer
Education: B.A. (Pitt), J.D., LL.M., M.B.A.
Qualifications: Admitted to PA Attorney Bar
Campaign website: www.gpofpa.org/donate
Facebook: facebook.com/richard.weiss.1485537
Instagram: www.instagram.com/richardlweiss
Q: What are your top three priorities to address as Attorney General?
A: 1. End slavery by requiring prison labor to be paid market wages. Prison labor benefits a few with cheap labor while the public pays for their incarceration. 2. Protect renters, the homeless and workers from unfair practices, like price-fixing, lack of affordable housing and shelter, discrimination and wage theft. 3. Pursue polluters for cleanup of over half a million uncapped wells in Pennsylvania, and drug makers for the consequences of the side effects of their products. Pursue politicians to return gifts and support a gift ban to make corruption illegal. The Green Party accepts no corporate donations. Support the Green Party of PA by donating here gpofpa.org/donate. The Green Party works for the people not the corporations.
Q: What specific challenges does the Pennsylvania criminal justice system face, and how would you address them?
A: My campaign will challenge the state to pay market rates for prison labor. The Philacor program installed ten industry shops where laborers make pennies an hour. When there isn’t a profit motive to keep prisoners incarcerated, then incarceration and the costs to the public will fall. I am also a proponent of the Disability Integration Act which will help patients with disabilities access in home and long term services prior to being institutionalized or incarcerated. Incarceration should be for dangerous actors only. Most can be directed to non-carceral programs. Restorative justice programs have shown less recidivism than incarceration. Treat drug abuse as a medical issue, not with incarceration. Decriminalize cannabis.
Q: What do you see as the primary challenges to achieving equality under the law?
A: Pennsylvania has the fifth highest rate of discrimination cases of any state and some of the most proportionately disabled cities and counties in our country. People with disabilities often require reasonable accommodations. It will take an attorney general who holds workplaces and institutions accountable for their lack of accountability for addressing systemic discrimination in hiring and reasonable accommodation practices. Ending prison slave wages will remove the profit motive for incarceration, lowering prison population and reducing costs to the public. End cash bail: the judge should determine whether the actor is a danger to the public and must be held pending trial Those jailed must be prioritized for a speedy trial.
Justin L. Magill
Party: Constitution
County: Erie
Occupation: Attorney
Education: B.A. Criminal Justice - Edinboro University, M.A. Public Policy - Liberty University, J.D. - Roger Williams School of Law
Qualifications: Practicing attorney since 2017
Q: What are your top three priorities to address as Attorney General?
A: 1. Election Security – Elections officials must be held to the law when certifying elections. Voter registration roles MUST be cleaned up. 2. Parental Rights – Schools MUST recognize parental rights and provide transparent services that give parents full access and decision-making ability concerning their child’s education, health, and wellbeing. 3. Government Accountability – Any accusation about inappropriate action by public functionaries must be looked at and appropriate action taken. Public Trust must be restored. I will work to secure the individual rights of Pennsylvanians and ensure transparency in all areas of governance. I will work to ensure all public functionaries are accountable to the people they serve.
Q: What specific challenges does the Pennsylvania criminal justice system face, and how would you address them?
A: Ingrained, wrongheaded thinking on how the criminal justice system is supposed to work has created an assembly line of criminality. The protection of juries against bad laws and bad government actors has been pushed aside in favor of plea deals and a high-speed assembly line that allows Pennsylvania residents to be abused by bad law. As Attorney General my office will, in our advisory role, work to educate Pennsylvania’s public functionaries and the general public on how we can work towards correcting the system. The excellent attorneys of the Office of Attorney General will also assist with refocusing the goals for the future in protecting Pennsylvanians.
Q: What do you see as the primary challenges to achieving equality under the law?
A: Equality under the law is achieved by securing the individual rights of every human being. When governments move from securing those rights to violating those rights, we see inequality and abuse under the law. We see those abuses regularly in Pennsylvania as one group of human beings is allowed to terminate other human being. We saw businesses being closed and prevented from operating because they were deemed “unessential.” We see homes taken away Pennsylvanians can’t afford to give government enough of their money. Until government is returned to its limited role of securing our rights, there will be continued abuses of individuals and groups. I will work hard to educate our public functionaries on securing our rights.
Eric L. Settle
Party: Forward
County: Montgomery
Occupation: Attorney
Education: George Washington University, J.D. with honors; Colgate University, B.A., cum laude; Harriton High School, Diploma
Qualifications: Deputy General Counsel to Governor Ridge; Led the successful effort for the passage of Act 62, autism insurance coverage; Healthcare Transition Team, Governor Shapiro; Senior legal counsel for Aetna, United Health Group and AmeriHealth Caritas, President, Main Line Reform Temple; Trustee, Colgate U.
Campaign website: ericsettle4ag.com
Facebook: facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554941858403
Instagram: instagram.com/@elsettleag
Q: What are your top three priorities to address as Attorney General?
A: KEEPING PENNSYLVANIANS SAFE. The AG has direct responsibility for prosecuting drug trafficking, child predators, organized crime and public corruption. As AG, I will work to reduce the number of illegal guns on the streets, often the direct cause of the violence that citizens are experiencing. PROTECTING DEMOCRACY. As an independent AG who is not beholden to either major party, I will ensure that election challenges are handled fairly, and that the proper winner of any election will be recognized as the elected official. PROTECTING HEALTHCARE ACCESS. I am concerned about non-profit hospitals being acquired by for- profit businesses. With my unique healthcare experience, I can hold them accountable and protect healthcare access.
Q: What specific challenges does the Pennsylvania criminal justice system face, and how would you address them?
A: The criminal justice system is challenged by the need to reduce crime in Pennsylvania and to address the historical unfairness in the justice system, particularly as it relates to people of color. We see this duality play out in cities like Philadelphia where progressive prosecutors are seen by many as being soft on crime as they prioritize redressing historical grievances. In the end, a prosecutor must put the effective administration of justice as a higher priority to support the efforts of law enforcement and to seek a safer environment in the community. At the same time, we must find the resources necessary to create impactful diversion and rehabilitation programs to reduce the number of offenders who truly require incarceration.
Q: What do you see as the primary challenges to achieving equality under the law?
A: I think that implicit bias plays a very large role in the inequity in the criminal justice system. We must recognize that law enforcement, prosecutors and judges need to recognize that this bias is real and often unconscious and try to avoid treating defendants differently based on factors like race. Greater diversity in the judiciary and in law enforcement will improve this but more work is necessary to make the justice system truly equal.
Pennsylvania Auditor General
Description of office: The principal role of the Auditor General is to determine whether state funds are being used in accordance with the purpose and guidelines that govern each use of the Commonwealth’s dollars. The Auditor General conducts financial and performance audits of individuals, state agencies, and organizations that receive state funds, including school districts, state liquor stores, and public employee pension funds. These audits are designed to measure how effectively government programs are using public money to meet their stated goals and objectives. The office performs more than 6,000 audits each year and is responsible for auditing all Pennsylvania state programs that are allocated federal funds.
Term: 4 years
Salary: $197,748
Vote for ONE.
Malcolm Kenyatta
Party: Democratic
County: Philadelphia
Occupation: State Representative
Education: B.A. in Public Communications and a minor in Political Science from Temple University, M.S. in Strategic and Digital Communications from Drexel University, and completed the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executives in State and Local Government program
Qualifications: He is a member of State Government Committee with oversight of state agencies and elections, where he chairs the Subcommittee on Government Operations; Chair of Automation and Technology in the Commerce Committee; and as a member of the Finance and Judiciary committees
Campaign website: malcolmkenyatta.com
Facebook: facebook.com/malcolmkenyatta
Instagram: instagram.com/malcolmkenyatta
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the Auditor General’s office?
A: As Auditor General, I will rebuild the bureau of school audits, restart the annual compliance audits ended by the current Auditor General, and demand accountability from all our schools — including cyber charter schools. I will stand up for our workers by creating the first ever Bureau of Labor and Worker Protections and use the power of the office to take on wage theft, employee misclassification, and union busting. I will use the office to measure and support efforts to make communities healthier and safer. We need transparency on how huge hospital nonprofits and long-term care providers use state dollars.
Q: How can you make the work of the Auditor General’s office more transparent to the public?
A: I’m running for Auditor General because it’s time for the underdog to be a watchdog for Pennsylvania’s working families. To ask the tough questions, to help reimagine and streamline government, and to help build the coalitions to fix what’s wrong. It’s what I’ve done as a State Representative for nearly five years, working to protect workers’ rights, enact common-sense gun safety policies, and root out government corruption and waste. We deserve a government that works for working families. That starts with being serious about fixing what’s broken. And it means having an Auditor General who isn’t afraid to stand up for those too often forgotten by our government.
Tim DeFoor
Party: Republican
County: Dauphin
Occupation: Auditor General
Education: Associate degree in paralegal studies from Harrisburg Area Community College. University of Pittsburgh- Bachelor’s degree in psychology and earned a second Bachelor’s degree in sociology and history. Master’s in project management from Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
Qualifications: Dauphin County Controller from 2016 to 2020. Elected Pennsylvania Auditor General in 2020. Over 30 years of experience as a Special Investigator with Pennsylvania’s Office of Inspector General, as a Special Agent with Pennsylvania’s Attorney General and in the private sector and federal government.
Campaign website: defoor4pa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/DeFoor4PA
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the Auditor General’s office?
A: Under Tim’s leadership, the Auditor General’s office has focused on transforming the office in various ways, which include: how the Department recruits and retains employees; how it audits, making the work more efficient and effective for the taxpayers; and how it is building the next generation, focusing on the need for financial literacy education to be taught across the entire Commonwealth through the ‘Be Money Smart’ initiative.
Q: How can you make the work of the Auditor General’s office more transparent to the public?
A: Tim has transformed and improved how the Auditor General’s office conducts public and charter school audits to ensure that administrators and school boards are accountable and transparent with taxpayer dollars.
Reece Smith
Party: Libertarian
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Financial Services
Education: Bachelors Degree in Economics
Qualifications: I have spent years holding local government accountable by attending meetings, asking questions, and informing my neighbors of things happening.
Campaign website: votereece.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560890259324
X: @vote_reece
Instagram: www.instagram.com/vote_reece
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the Auditor General’s office?
A: First, I would actually audit the State Government. In the past four years the Auditor General’s Office has conducted about 20 audits of State departments, agencies, and funds. In that same time span they conducted over 12,000 audits in total. That means only 0.17% of their audits look at the State government. As well, I want to Audit the Governor’s office and the offices of the leaders in the legislature, as personal offices are some of the most high risk places for corruption, especially for the most powerful. Additionally, I want to have regular press conferences reviewing audit results and letting people know exactly what their money was spent on. When was the last time you heard about the results of an audit?
Q: How can you make the work of the Auditor General’s office more transparent to the public?
A: I want to make the Auditor’s General office more transparent by holding regular press conferences reviewing audit results and letting people know exactly what their money was spent on.
Eric K. Anton
Party: American Solidarity
County: Dauphin
Occupation: None
Education: MA in Public Administration and Policy
Did not respond to questions.
Alan Goodrich
Party: Constitution
County: Tioga
Occupation: Retired U.S. Army, Christian school principal
Education: BS Civil Engineering, USMA West Point, NY; MA Organizational Leadership, Chapman U., Orange, CA
Qualifications: Husband, father, Christian
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the Auditor General’s office?
A: Focus on being honest, efficient, and helpful.
Q: How can you make the work of the Auditor General’s office more transparent to the public?
A: Welcome public inquiries and provide timely responses to questions.
Pennsylvania State Treasurer
Description of office: The duty of the Pennsylvania Treasurer is to safeguard the Commonwealth’s financial assets, which total more than $160 billion in public monies. The office manages several programs in order to better serve the financial needs of Pennsylvanians. The Treasury Department is also responsible for: reuniting unclaimed property with its rightful owner; investigating loss, theft, and fraud involving Commonwealth checks; reviewing real estate leases and contracts entered into by Commonwealth agencies; and maintaining the Pennsylvania contracts electronic library. The Treasurer has specific duties in addition to the oversight of the Department: serving as chair of the Board of Finance and Revenue, which selects banks to serve as depositories for state money; setting interest rates paid on Commonwealth deposits; and hearing and deciding state tax appeals.
Term: 4 years
Salary: $197,748
Vote for ONE.
Erin McClelland
Party: Democratic
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Process Improvement Consultant
Education: BS Psychology & Economics, MS Psychology
Qualifications: Founded and ran a small business, Spent a year training on process improvement and organizational problem solving under former US Treasury Secretary O’Neill, 9 years doing process improvement for government systems in Allegheny County
Campaign website: erinmcclelland.com
Facebook: facebook.com/ErinforPA
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the State Treasurer’s office?
A: I would expand the information you could see in the database of state contracts, including searching vendors by union/non-union as well as women and minority-owned businesses. I will provide a recommended vendor list that complies with US trade policies for fulfilling state purchases such as ensuring we are not purchasing from companies that use slave labor, child labor, or conflict-mined materials. I would not invest in foreign holdings and would reinstate the pension investment standards that existed before pension de-regulation in 2003.
Q: How can you make the work of the State Treasurer’s office more transparent to the public?
A: Transparency is a word that is thrown around loosely in politics. However, it is only truly achieved if it is demonstrated at times when it is inconvenient and when we make mistakes. Elected officials identifying errors in the interest of improving performance rarely happens. That must change. The current Treasurer’s Asset report only states what is going well. It does not identify opportunities for improvement. I would let the taxpayers know where I think we could improve or mistakes we may have made, the cause of the mistake and the correction. I also hope to move toward incorporating ESG (environmental, sustainability, governance) ratings into investment standards if that rating should be established as a viable measure.
Stacy Garrity
Party: Republican
County: Bradford
Occupation: Pennsylvania State Treasurer
Education: Bachelor of Science in Finance/ Minor in Economics Bloomsburg University | Certificate Cornell University Business Management Institute
Qualifications: Thirty-year decorated member of the U.S. Army Reserve with three deployments to the Middle East including a Battalion command | 34 years in private sector manufacturing, retiring as one of the first female vice presidents of Global Tungsten & Powders, an international refractory metals co.
Campaign website: garrityforpa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/GarrityForPA
Instagram: www.instagram.com/stacyforpa
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the State Treasurer’s office?
A: I will build on the progress made during my time in office. Since January 2021, I’ve worked with my bipartisan team at the Treasurer’s office to set a new record for returning unclaimed property (more than $274 million in a single year, and more than $600 million altogether), to earn the first-ever Gold Rating from Morningstar for our PA 529 College & Career Program (making it one of the top two programs in the nation), and to nearly triple the assets in the PA ABLE savings program for people with disabilities (to over $115 million). I will continue cutting fees for both of Treasury’s savings programs: PA 529 (so far, I’ve saved account owners more than $11 million) and PA ABLE (so far, I’ve cut fees three times).
Q: How can you make the work of the State Treasurer’s office more transparent to the public?
A: Transparency is a core principal under my watch. Every dollar that comes to Treasury, and every dollar paid out, belongs to the taxpayers. They deserve to see exactly what’s happening with their money. Before I took office, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department received a “C” rating for transparency. That’s unacceptable, so I immediately went to work improving transparency at all levels. I added many new features to the Transparency Portal on Treasury’s website, making it easier for people to see our state’s expenditures, revenue, and budget. I added county-level data for all of Treasury’s programs, and I revamped the Fiscal Health Scorecard which allows people to easily compare Pennsylvania’s fiscal performance to other states.
Nickolas Ciesielski
Party: Libertarian
County: Westmoreland
Occupation: Engineer
Education: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University
Qualifications: Ability to solve complex issues, leadership positions professionally and within the Libertarian Party, strong foundation in the Austrian school of economics.
Campaign website: nickcforpa.com
Facebook: facebook.com/nickcforpa
Instagram: www.instagram.com/nickcforpa
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the State Treasurer’s office?
A: The biggest issue to me is state debt. The legislature should not be spending future generations of Pennsylvanians into debt. The federal debt is over $35 trillion, with a debt per citizen of over $104,000. The Treasury dashboard reports a debt per capita of almost another $4,000. I will refuse to issue any bonds that would further grow the state debt. Additionally, I will push to eliminate state pensions and convert all government employees to a 457 retirement plan to prevent taxpayers from running the risk of needing to bail out the pension fund, which is currently 64% funded. I will also include a significant Bitcoin allocation in state investment funds, including the pension fund.
Q: How can you make the work of the State Treasurer’s office more transparent to the public?
A: The transparency portal does not provide an easy breakdown of what the investment pools are actually invested in. The public deserves to know where their money is being invested and determine if those investments align with their values. Additionally, I will make all records public and implement a system to crowdsource auditing the state treasury, allowing average citizens to earn small rewards while helping to hold their government accountable.
Troy Bowman
Party: Constitution
County: Lancaster
Occupation: Information Technology/Network Administrator
Education: Associate of Science degree from Grantham University
Did not respond to questions.
Chris Foster
Party: Forward
County: Allegheny
Occupation: Real Estate Sales Associate
Education: Bachelor of Arts
Campaign website: chrisfosterforpatreasurer.com
Facebook: facebook.com/chrisfoster553
Q: What improvements, if any, would you make to the State Treasurer’s office?
A: As an Independent State Treasurer, I will ensure the office serves all Pennsylvanians, regardless of Party interest. Aligned with the Forward Party’s sensible, independent approach, I’ll enhance transparency and accessibility, empowering citizens to understand how their tax dollars are managed. We’re building a movement from the ground up, focused on fiscal responsibility and collaboration, ensuring a secure and prosperous financial future for everyone.
Q: How can you make the work of the State Treasurer’s office more transparent to the public?
A: As State Treasurer, I’ll implement user-friendly tools that empower citizens to track spending and investments, ensuring accountability. My focus will be on creating an open, clear, and responsive government, making sure everyone understands how their money is used.
This story was originally published October 13, 2024 at 6:40 AM.
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