DLCC to invest $500k in Pa. House
Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg for the Capital-Star).
The arm of the Democratic Party tasked with working on state legislative races announced Wednesday it will invest $500,000 in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
The funds are the first part of a $2.2 million investment in battleground states, which is itself part of a larger $10 million investment the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) announced last month. The earlier-than-usual campaign will help support its spotlight candidates, as the party keeps close focus on down-ballot races in a turbulent election cycle.
Its “Summer of the States” funding will help bolster campaign infrastructure in Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania for things like staffing and field operations.
“Democrats must be prepared to compete with Trump’s allies in the states rallying around Project 2025, and at the DLCC, we’re working overtime to make sure all Democrats understand what is at stake,” DLCC president Heather Williams said in a statement.
As part of the “Summer of the States” campaign, the DLCC will fund campaign infrastructures in Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin — which will be used to hire staffers and invest in field operations, among other efforts.
Democrats regained control of the Pennsylvania House in 2022 after being in the minority for more than a decade. And even though two of their members resigned last week, Democrats still hold control of the House under a rule change made last year. Republicans still hold a 28-22 majority in the state Senate.
The Republican State Legislative Committee announced last month in a memo to donors that it would spend $38 million in state legislative races this cycle, its largest ever such investment, with special emphasis on battleground states like Pennsylvania.
“While we will never be able to match the constellation of national Democrat organizations that spend on state legislative races dollar for dollar, we can still fight back with smart, targeted investments of our own,” RLSC president Dee Dee Duncan said in a statement.
Republicans control 56 of the 99 state legislative chambers, and Democrats control 41. Pennsylvania has a divided legislature, with Republicans in control of the Senate and Democrats in control of the House.
