In another hit to Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner's campaign — one in which he's trailed incumbent Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in likely voter support from the beginning — it looks like Wagner also is losing badly to Wolf in the money department.
Because Wolf has brought in twice as much fundraising cash as Wagner over the last three months, PennLive reported.
Wagner's campaign reported $3.6 million in contributions between June 5 and Sept. 17, the outlet said citing Pennsylvania Department of State filings, adding that Wagner spent about $3.4 million and ended the period with $1.8 million in available cash.
How did Wolf fare?
But Wolf did way better — and despite spending four times as much as Wagner over the same period.
Wolf's campaign brought in $7.2 million in the last three months and ended up with $8.9 million in available cash, PennLive said.
So, how was that possible, particularly when Wolf spent $13.5 million over the last three months? Part of the reason may be that Wolf — who ran unopposed in the primary — had nearly $15 million in available funds by the time April rolled around, the Morning Call reported. Wagner, on the other hand, had to fend two GOP opponents before earning a showdown with the Democrat.
How did Wagner's campaign respond?
Who gave the most?
The biggest single contributor to Wagner has been Students First, a political action committee supporting charter schools and vouchers for students in underperforming districts, PennLive said. Critics, however, have said what Students First is aiming for would result in millions taken from public education and severe damage to low-income students, the outlet added.
The biggest contributions to Wolf's campaign campaign most came from union-affiliated groups such as the American Federation of Teachers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, PennLive said. The Wolf campaign said 93 percent of contributions were $250 or less, the outlet said, adding that small-dollar contributions made up 2.4 percent of Wagner's total fundraising.