Stunned by Pennsylvania’s races? Here’s how you can check out the legislative candidates

Stephen Caruso
| PA Spotlight

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HARRISBURG — All of Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives and half of its state senators will be on the ballot this year.

These elections receive less media attention than the top-of-the-ticket elections, such as the presidential and U.S. Senate races. That’s why Spotlight PA has developed this guide to help you evaluate which candidates you want to send to Harrisburg or keep in Harrisburg.

These positions come with a six-figure base salary, benefits like per diem, and the potential for full-time staff. In return, legislators are expected to act as a gateway to state government. They also work with their elected colleagues to solve problems and represent the interests of their constituents.

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Read on to learn more about how to vet both incumbent lawmakers and candidates hoping to win election:

Use this tool to find out who your legislators are. Reminder: All state representatives will be up for election this year, while only state senators in odd-numbered districts will be on the ballot.

Every state House of Representatives and state Senate legislator has a website that lists all the legislative memos they have circulated (under “cosponsorship memos”) and the bills they have signed this session (under “sponsored legislation”).

Alex Garlick, a University of Vermont professor who studies U.S. legislation, previously told Spotlight PA that you can understand a lawmaker’s priorities by looking at the legislation they support.

Garlick said there are several other ways to evaluate lawmakers, though each has its advantages and disadvantages.

For example, you can count how many bills introduced by the legislature become law. But that method alone is not sufficient, Garlick said, “because many bills die along the way.”

Bills that pass through the Pennsylvania Legislature are often rewritten, meaning that what becomes law may be completely unrelated to what was introduced. In addition, sometimes a legislator’s bill gets absorbed into a larger bill.

Most rank-and-file lawmakers — especially those in the minority party — don’t have the authority to ensure their bills are considered. That power rests with committee chairs and members of the majority leadership team, who make those decisions based on their own priorities.

But the way a legislator votes on bills can be instructive. Does he defy the party line? Does he refrain from politically difficult measures? Does he put unity first?

Both chambers have advanced several important proposals over the past year. You can see how your legislators voted by clicking the links below.

Some of the key initiatives considered by the state House of Representatives over the past year include:

Agreement on the state budget for 2023 and 2024.
The vote made state Rep. Mark Rozzi (D., Berks) speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
A proposed constitutional amendment that would give victims of childhood sexual abuse a two-year window to file a lawsuit.
Bills to raise the minimum wage to $12 or $15 an hour.
The measure would add anti-discrimination protections to the state’s civil rights law, covering employment, housing and schooling.
Bills that would introduce universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, a ban on possession of untraceable gun parts and require gun owners to report lost or stolen firearms.
A law allowing police to stop a driver solely for using a phone.
A law establishing state regulations governing carbon capture and storage.
A law requiring electric vehicle owners to pay a flat fee to the state Department of Transportation starting in 2025 to fund highway construction.
An Act establishing a special prosecutor to combat SEPTA crime.
Law allowing beer distributors to sell canned cocktails
A bill that would prohibit state courts and police from cooperating with the prosecution of out-of-state people seeking abortions in Pennsylvania.
Proposal to extend regulations concerning state railways.
Draft bill to expand Sunday hunting

Some of the key initiatives considered by the state Senate over the past year include:

Agreement on the state budget for 2023 and 2024.
A proposed constitutional amendment that would give victims of childhood sexual abuse a two-year window to file lawsuits would require people to show ID every time they vote and make it easier for lawmakers to circumvent the rules.
A law that would allow police to stop a driver solely for using a phone
A law establishing state regulations governing carbon capture and storage.
A law that would require electric vehicle owners to pay a $200 fee starting in 2025, and increasing thereafter, to the state Department of Transportation to fund highways.
An Act establishing a special prosecutor to combat SEPTA crime.
Law allowing beer distributors to sell canned cocktails
A bill that would ban safe injection sites in Philadelphia.
A bill that would require school districts to catalog any book containing “sexually explicit material.”
A bill that would seek to move the state’s primary election date from 2024
The measure would require every school to have at least one full-time, armed security guard.
A proposal to reduce the state personal income tax from 3.07% to 2.8%.
Draft bill to expand Sunday hunting

You can also get a sense of a legislator’s values by looking at the organizations that support them. As of early September, the following notable organizations have endorsed candidates in some races:

Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, a statewide environmental advocacy organization
The Pennsylvania AFL-CIO is a federation of 51 public and private sector unions representing 700,000 workers.
Planned Parenthood PA, a national organization advocating for reproductive and sexual health care providers, including abortion services.
Service Employees International Union represents workers in sectors such as health care, janitorial services, and property management, as well as state and county social services.
United Food and Commercial Workers 1776, a union representing workers in grocery stores, state liquor stores, medical marijuana plants, food processing plants and elsewhere.

Other groups do not endorse candidates, but instead recommend or not recommend candidates based on their stance on a given issue:

Other organizations issue “scorecards” that rate legislators based on their votes. These scorecards are inherently reflective of the organization and its values; groups in the same advocacy space, such as gun rights, may give different scores to the same legislator. Some scorecards indicate which votes the organization considered:

ACLU, a civil rights group that advocates for structural changes to the criminal justice system, free speech and privacy rights.
Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian organization that advocates for free markets and a limited role for the government, with ties to the Koch family.
CeasefirePA, an anti-violence group that advocates for stricter gun laws
The right-wing Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, which is increasingly associated with former President Donald Trump.
Gun Owners of America, a growing gun rights group that criticizes the NRA for being “too liberal.”
National Rifle Association, a recognized gun rights organization.
Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, a business advocacy group that advocates for lower taxes and less regulation.

Legislative candidates who are not serving in office should begin their search using the search engine of their choice.

A candidate’s official campaign website or Facebook page often includes a biography, information about his priorities, and notable endorsements from politicians and organizations.

The organizations listed above may endorse non-officer candidates based on internal interviews or questionnaires.

Other groups, such as the conservative Pennsylvania Family Institute, skip endorsements and ratings and instead publish polls in which candidates, both incumbent and non-incumbent, answer questions about their priorities.

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters Educational Fund also publishes questionnaires for all legislative candidates.

Local chapters of the organization—as well as news organizations, business groups, and local political committees—can host candidate forums or debates. These events allow you to watch candidates interact in real time and may allow you to meet them in person.

Checking campaign finance records online through the Pennsylvania Department of State allows you to see which individuals and groups are funding a candidate. It is best to search by last name.

The report breaks down donations by size, as well as whether the money comes from an individual or a political action committee affiliated with a corporation, labor union or other interest group.

Lawmakers have already filed at least two campaign finance reports; they won’t have to file a report showing how much money was raised in the summer and fall until Oct. 25.

You can also review candidates’ financial interest statements, which show their sources of income, creditors, assets and gifts, and other information. The state Ethics Commission maintains them; you can search for them here.

BEFORE YOU LEAVE… If you learned something from this article, please share it and support Spotlight PA on spotlightpa.org/donate. Spotlight PA is funded by foundations and readers like you who are committed to responsible journalism that brings results.

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Stunned by Pennsylvania’s races? Here’s how you can check out the legislative candidates

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