Josh Shapiro, the Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania, crushed his Republican rival state Sen. Doug Mastriano in fundraising over the summer, raking in more than $25.4 million from June 7 to Sept. 19, according to campaign finance filings. By comparison, Mastriano raised nearly $3.2 million over the same three-month period.
Shapiro’s massive cash haul brings the candidate’s fundraising total this cycle to more than $50 million — the most of any gubernatorial candidate in the state ever. The fundraising totals come after the latest CBS News Battleground Tracker Poll released earlier this month showed Shapiro leading Mastriano by 11 points among likely voters, 55% to 44%.
Shapiro’s fundraising has already outpaced the previous record set by former Gov. Ed Rendell, who raised $42.2 million during his 2002 campaign. More recently, Gov. Tom Wolf raised $32.8 million during his 2014 campaign, including $10 million in self-funding.
Shapiro’s latest fundraising numbers were provided to CBS News ahead of Tuesday’s filing deadline. The Democratic gubernatorial hopeful and current attorney general of Pennsylvania finished the fundraising period with more than $10.9 million cash on hand heading into the final weeks of the 2022 campaign season. Mastriano finished the period with nearly $2.6 million cash on hand.
Getty Images
With his campaign war chest advantage, Shapiro has already spent or reserved $35 million in television ads ahead of Election Day. At the same time, Mastriano has not placed any TV ads for the general election yet, according to tracking by AdImpact.
In a statement released on Twitter Tuesday evening, a Mastriano campaign spokesperson said small contributions have played a key role in propelling the campaign forward, “we are proud to be funded by the people of Pennsylvania — and not the elites.”
According to the filings, more than $21 million of Shapiro’s total came from contributions exceeding $250, including those from political committees. For Mastriano, $2.5 million of his total came from contributions of more than $250.
Mastriano has been trailing Shapiro in multiple recent polls. The far-right candidate, who is a known election denier and has expressed extreme views on abortion, including a ban without exception for rape and incest, faces some buyers’ remorse among registered Republicans. Four in 10 said they wished their party had nominated a different candidate, according to the latest CBS News polling. But Mastriano does have the continued support of one prominent Republican: former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump held a tele-rally with the GOP candidate on Tuesday night, during which he praised Mastriano, saying he has “been MAGA from day one.” They also appeared on stage together earlier this month as well at a rally in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
