New campaign finance filings for Pennsylvania state legislative special elections show Republicans outpaced Democrats in fundraising. Between January 1, 2021, and May 17, 2021, Republican general election candidates outraised Democratic candidates by 13 percent.
Republicans have a 28-21 majority in the Pennsylvania State Senate and a 113-89 majority in the Pennsylvania State House. State legislative special elections were held on May 18, 2021, in four districts.
In the election cycle in those districts, six Republican candidates raised $1.13 million compared to $1 million taken in by four Democrats.
The candidates who raised the most money in that period are Martin Flynn (D) in Senate District 22 ($948,983), Chris Chermak (R) in Senate District 22 ($821,136), and Chris Gebhard (R) in Senate District 48 ($146,581).
Campaign finance requirements govern how much money candidates may receive from individuals and organizations, how much and how often they must report those contributions, and how much individuals, organizations, and political parties may contribute to campaigns. All campaign financial transactions must be made through the candidate’s committee. Campaign committees are required to file regular campaign finance disclosure reports with the Pennsylvania Department of State.
This article was published in partnership with Transparency USA. Click here to learn more about that partnership.
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