Race to watch: Contested election for Pa. auditor general

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Since 1809, Pennsylvania’s auditor general has served as the “chief fiscal watchdog” of the Çommonwealth, ensuring money is adequately managed and holding the government accountable for taxpayer dollars. In recent years, the office has captured headlines.

In 2017, former Democratic Auditor General Eugene DePasquale discovered that Pennsylvania’s fuel tax meant for bridge repair got diverted to state police. In 2023, DeFoor accused several Philadelphia-area school districts of a taxing “shell game.”

In the 2024 race for auditor general, five candidates are on the ballot.

Republican Auditor General Timothy DeFoor is the incumbent, wrapping up his first term. He emerged from the primaries without a party challenger, putting him on the fast track for the November ballot.

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta of Philadelphia defeated Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley in the Democratic primary. American Solidarity Party candidate Eric Anton, Constitution Party candidate Alan Goodrich and Libertarian Reece Smith will also be on the ballot.

Major party candidates

Republican incumbent Timothy DeFoor

DeFoor, 62, was first elected in 2020. He is the first Republican to hold the office in more than two decades. He is also the first Black person elected to statewide office.

“If someone was to write a book about my life it would be titled, ‘How did a shy kid who hated math end up being elected auditor general,’” DeFoor said.

Originally from Toledo, Ohio, DeFoor’s family moved to Harrisburg when his father transferred to work on an army depot in Pennsylvania. His mother worked the night shift as a nursing aide.

He said discussions with his parents influenced his decision to forge a career path in law enforcement and as an auditor. DeFoor earned his associate’s degree from Harrisburg Area Community College, his bachelor’s from the University of Pittsburgh and his master’s degree in project management from Harrisburg University.

DeFoor worked as a special investigator within the Pennsylvania Office of the Inspector General, a special agent with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General and a fraud investigator for the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

“The lesson that I learned, number one, is to be patient, keep my mouth shut and listen,” DeFoor said. “My dad would always say if you’re always running your mouth, then you’re not really listening to anybody because you’re always running your mouth.”

In 2015, DeFoor was elected as the Dauphin County Controller where he established its first audit division and released its first retirement fund report. Because of his work, the county won its first award for financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association in 2017.

He said he ran for auditor general to “give back” to his community.

Since being sworn in 2021, he has publicized the financial shortfalls facing the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission. Additionally, he has uncovered financial irregularities in volunteer firefighter relief associations.

The Markle Volunteer Fire Department Relief Association specifically drew DeFoor’s attention. With almost $26,000 in funds missing, DeFoor referred the investigation to the Centre County District Attorney.

DeFoor’s office has prioritized financial literacy as a public education tool, traveling to classrooms across the state as part of the Be Money Smart initiative.

“In my opinion, financial literacy needs to be taught in every school in Pennsylvania from kindergarten through 12th grade,” DeFoor said.

In August, DeFoor’s office released an audit, about a “lack of oversight” by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services that allowed pharmacy benefit managers to overcharge for prescription drugs.

DeFoor faced pushback from education leaders over his “shell game” accusations directed at suburban public schools. Some deemed his report “clumsy.” His choice to eliminate the office’s school audit bureau garnered negative attention. He defended his decision as a way to maximize resources.

“We are still performing school audits. We’ve just transformed how we perform them,” he said. “We’re getting more into how are they performing with taxpayer dollars that’s supposed to check-the-box audits.”

His swearing-in ceremony was not without controversy, either. In 2021, DeFoor declined to publicly affirm the results of the 2020 election with the exception of his own race.

“So let me say this first and foremost, the election of 2020 was fair,” DeFoor said. “Joe Biden won. Donald Trump lost. I’ve said that numerous times, so while the criticism is still out there — I don’t know why it’s still out there when I’ve said very publicly that the election was fair — I have no doubt coming into 2024 that the election is going to be fair as well.”

He called Pennsylvania’s election system “transparent” and “sound.”

DeFoor is running his re-election campaign on eliminating “wasteful” government spending and closing the “honor system” loophole.

“I have unique qualifications and unique experiences. I’ve audited on the county level, state level, federal government and in the private sector,” DeFoor said.

He has the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Republican Party.

“This is the same type of work I’ve been doing — I’m going to age myself for 30 plus years — and I’m doing it because I care and it goes back to those conversations that I had with my parents,” DeFoor said.

Democratic challenger Malcolm Kenyatta

Kenyatta, 34, was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2018 as the first openly LGBTQ person of color to serve in the legislature. The Temple University alumnus became one of the youngest voices in the chamber.

He currently chairs the elections subcommittee of the State Government Committee and serves on the Commerce and Finance committees. Kenyatta cited his work on reforming pharmacy benefit managers and establishing a child tax credit as some of his best legislative achievements.

​​”One of the things that you learn in the legislature twofold, is that a: you can’t do anything by yourself and b: if you’re more focused on getting something accomplished and less tied to getting praise for it, you’ll get more done,” Kenyatta said.

President Joe Biden chose Kenyatta to deliver a keynote address during the 2020 Democratic National Convention.

Kenyatta is seen as an ascending name in state and federal politics. In 2023, he started an unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Senate. Biden selected Kenyatta as a chair member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans.

Growing up in a working-poor family sparked the North Philadelphia native’s desire to enter politics. Kenyatta’s parents split when he was young. His father was a social worker. His mother was a nursing aide.

“I grew up working-poor and I was pissed off about it. I wanted to understand why,”  Kenyatta said. “Why was it that my mom literally could work all the time and yet things were always so tight — like how is that possible and doing the type of work that I really think is noble work.”

She challenged him to be the change that he wanted to see. When he was 12, Kenyatta became the junior block captain of Woodstock Street in Philadelphia.

“That formative moment has really anchored everything else that I’ve done. If I have so much to say about something, if I care so much about it, then I have a responsibility to go do something about it,” Kenyatta said.

Kenyatta, the grandson of civil rights leader Muhammad Kenyatta, entered politics as a political consultant, campaign manager and board member for several city organizations.

He says the auditor general’s role is to investigate the root cause of issues facing Pennsylvanians.

“The auditor has this cool opportunity, if you have somebody with the right vision, to dig in deeply on areas that as policymakers, you don’t always have the opportunity to dig as deep as you would like,” Kenyatta said.

Kenyatta has focused his auditor general campaign on reconstructing the school audit bureau, establishing the state’s first Bureau of Labor and Worker Protections and increasing transparency on how hospital nonprofits and long-term care providers utilize tax dollars.

He knocked DeFoor for shutting down the school audit bureau. Kenyatta stressed that his proposed Bureau of Labor and Worker Protections would enforce labor laws.

“I’m going to have that new office led by somebody from organized labor so we can think big, broad and deep about what types of questions should we be asking, because an audit is only as good as the foundational question that you’re asking that informs the audit in the first place,” he said.

Kenyatta clashed with primary challenger Mark Pinsley, saying his opponent didn’t “like Black people” in a video captured on a Ring camera. Pinsley refuted the claims, while Kenyatta dismissed the release of the video as “dirty political tricks.”

Kenyatta has the endorsement of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party.

“We have to go in a marked different direction in this role. It really is time that we have an underdog who’s the watchdog for working people and working families and we have to have somebody who has the courage to do this job,” Kenyatta said.

Minor party candidates

Eric Anton, the American Solidarity Party candidate, doesn’t have a visible campaign website. His bio listed on the American Solidarity Party website said he’s been a member since 2017. He’s also been elected to the party’s national committee twice and currently serves as the state coordinator.

“The American Solidarity Party is committed to the betterment of our nation and world through prudent policies guided by Christian democratic values,” the party’s website said. “Our platform is founded on the belief that all people are created with an equal and inviolable dignity before God.”

Alan Goodrich, the Constitution Party candidate, serves as the state chair for the conservative minor-party. The Army veteran previously ran for Tioga County Commissioner in 2023. He doesn’t appear to have a campaign website, however, the state party’s platform highlights seven principles: life, liberty, family, property, the Constitution, state’s rights and American sovereignty.

Reece Smith, the Libertarian candidate, currently resides in Crafton just outside of Pittsburgh. He received his bachelor’s degree from Allegheny College and works in the financial services industry.

His platform is conducting more audits of state government, investigating the state legislature and opposing “bipartisan corruption.”