Former Pa. congressional contender Christina Hartman to run for auditor general

Pennsylvania is getting a new auditor general next year, and the field of prospective candidates is already crowded.

The auditor serves as Pennsylvania’s top fiscal watchdog, and the position is often seen as a springboard to an even higher office.

The office’s current occupant, York County Democrat Eugene DePasquale, will finish the second of his two allotted terms next November. He is already well into a run for the commonwealth’s 10th congressional district and will likely have a close race with incumbent Republican Scott Perry.

The first formal bid to replace DePasquale comes from Lancaster County Democrat Christina Hartman.

Hartman, a nonprofit consultant who has twice run for Congress, cites her experience managing spending for federal projects.

“Those programs were always taxpayer-funded, so I’ve been working for most of my career to make sure that money is used efficiently and effectively,” she said. “As part of that, I always had to do audits and oversee audits.”

Hartman lost a congressional bid in the 2016 general election and dropped out last year after redistricting made her district less competitive for Democrats.

She’s not the only Democrat eyeing the auditor general seat.

Nina Ahmad, a former Philadelphia deputy mayor who previously ran for Lieutenant Governor, has launched a website for the purpose.

Former Philadelphia Controller Alan Butkovitz has told PoliticsPA he’s plotting a run, and Pittsburgh Controller Michael Lamb also said the auditor job is on his radar.

Republican Dennis Stuckey, a longtime Lancaster County Commissioner, told LNP he is seriously considering a run too.