Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Race: Shapiro Positioned to Outspend Most Republican Candidates

An empty street is seen outside the Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., on Jan. 17, 2021. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

In the Pennsylvania race for governor, Democrat candidate Josh Shapiro has raised more money than all other candidates combined. Shapiro has raised more than $16 million and spent nearly $3 million. He has $13 million left to spend, and because he is unchallenged in the primary, most of that money will be available to outspend the Republican candidate who prevails in the primary.

Shapiro’s 3,044-page campaign finance report shows he has not had to loan any of his own money to his campaign and that many donors, both in and outside Pennsylvania, gave him $10,000; $20,000; $50,000; $100,000 or more. Here is an incomplete look at just a few of Shapiro’s larger donors:

• $1 million from Karla Jurvetson of Los Altos Hills, California physician and major progressive political donor.
• $500,000 from billionaire Thomas B. Hagen of Erie, chairman and former CEO of Erie Insurance Group.
• $200,000 from William Harris Jr. of Miami Beach, Florida, founder of California-based Personal Capital, an online wealth management company purchased by Empower Retirement in 2020 for more than $825 million.
• $200,000 from Deborah Simon of Carmel, Indiana, philanthropist and former head of Indiana’s Planned Parenthood.
• $100,000 from the Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, which aims to “end mass criminalization and incarceration, repairing the harm caused by a criminal legal system built on structural racism,” and to prevent voter suppression and assure every person can access safe abortions, its website says.
• $100,000 from New York City Venture Capital Investor David M. Magerman $100,000 from billionaire political activist Pat Stryker of Fort Collins, Colorado.
• $100,000 from software developer Sage Weil of Madison, Wisconsin.
• $100,000 From Christian Larsen of San Francisco, California, executive chairman of Ripple, a global financial firm advancing decentralized financial technology to build a more inclusive financial system, Ripple’s website says.
• $50,000 from Yaron Minsky of New York, New York, a programmer at Jane Street Capital.
• $50,000 from Reid Hoffman of Menlo Park, California, a partner at Greylock, a venture capital firm.
• $50,000 from Pennsylvania personal injury attorney Shanin Specter of Gladwyne.
• $50,000 Joseph L. Neubauer of Philadelphia, chairman at Aramark.
• $25,000 from Scott M. Rifkin of Cockeysville, Maryland, managing partner of Mid-Atlantic Health Care, which owns nursing homes in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Rifkin is the creator of Real Time Medical Systems, software for mining medical data, according to his website.
• $25,000 from Geoff Gross of Philadelphia, founder and CEO of Medical Guardian, a wearable system that can summon an ambulance and inform family if someone falls or is injured in their home.
• $25,000 from Vinton Cerf of McLean Virginia, vice president of Google and one of the founders of the internet.
• $15,000 Jeffrey S. Shell of Beverly Hills, California, chairman of NBC Universal Film.
• $10,000 from Kevin Acklin, COO of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
• $10,000 from elected politician Doug Hoke, a York County Commissioner

Republicans

Candidates recently filed their state campaign finance reports for the year, covering money raised and spent between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. 2021.

Of the Republican gubernatorial candidates, David White, reports the most money raised. His campaign has raised $3,176,000 and has spent nearly $700,000 and has $2.4 million left to spend. White has loaned $3 million of his own money to the campaign.

Combining the committees “Jake Corman for Governor” and “Friends of Jake Corman” shows Corman raised $2.8 million raised and has $2.1 million left to spend. His mother, Rebecca Corman, has donated $90,000 to his campaign.

Jason Richey raised $1.5 million, spent $90,000, and has $1.4 million left. He has donated $1.4 million of his own money to the campaign.

Bill McSwain has the most money to work with of the Republicans. His report shows $1.5 million raised when combining his campaign finance report with the Freedom PA PAC report, which was a pre-campaign fundraising tool that is now being folded into his current finances.

Because of an endorsement from the Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs, McSwain has millions more to spend. Many Republican candidates for the governor’s seat interviewed with the chamber to get their endorsement, and the financial support that comes with it. The chamber’s Commonwealth Leaders Fund has pledged $20 million to the McSwain campaign. Pennsylvania billionaire Jeff Yass, founder of the Susquehanna International Group hedge fund, is a major financial backer of the Commonwealth Leaders Fund.

McSwain has planned at least $7 million in advertising leading into the primary Rachel Tripp, a campaign spokesperson told The Epoch Times.

“If you have the best message, you'll have the most money, and we are grateful to have received an outpouring of support from donors across the Commonwealth and via the endorsement of Commonwealth Partners Chamber of Entrepreneurs,” Tripp said.

Lou Barletta raised $906,000 but has spent $662,000 and has $243,000 left to spend.

Ranking sixth in money raised, Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano had $565,000, spent $14,400, and has $550,000 left to spend. His money comes mostly from small, individual donations from citizens. He has not lent money to his campaign yet.

Charlie Gerow raised $422,000 and has $254,000 left to spend. He has loaned $85,000 to his campaign.

State Sen. Scott Martin had raised $309,000 but has dropped out of the race due to a leg injury that has become more complicated to heal than he expected. Martin had loaned $25,000 to his campaign.

Guy Ciarrocchi raised $304,000 and still has $241,000 for spending.

Dan Laughlin raised $233,000 and has $98,000 left.

Dr. Nche Zama raised $204,000, of that $140,000 is his own money. He has $146,000 left to spend.

Joe Gale raised $40,000 with just $3,100 left.

Jason Monn, Melissa Hart, and John Ventre each raised less than $10,000.