Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional district is expected to be one the most competitive districts of 2016’s election season, with Ballotpedia naming it one of just 24 battleground districts throughout the nation. The incumbent is Michael G. Fitzpatrick, a Republican who will not be seeking re-election. This opening has led to candidates like Steve Santarsiero (D) to vie for this crucial district.

Santarsiero has served in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives for 7 years, acting as the representative for the 31st district since 2009. His actions in office portray him as a supporter of campaign finance reform, as he has vocally supported the limiting of the amount of money that can be donated by any individual or group to elections.

The Democratic hopeful has received key endorsements from politicians like Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf to organizations like the Pennsylvania State Education Association. The Association released a statement detailing the reasons behind their support of Santarsiero: “Steve has a great track record of supporting issues that PSEA members care about in the General Assembly, and he’ll take that experience to Washington and keep fighting for policies that help kids learn, help educators teach, and help our members provide for their families.”

While endorsements and prior actions in office area good indicator that a candidate will follow through on campaign promises, their finances still require a thorough analysis. Opensecrets.org, a site dedicated to keeping track of money in politics, states that Santarsiero has raised about $700,000 for his campaign. 12% of that amount came from small contributions, 18% from PAC contributions, and a sizeable 69% from large contributions.

A quick perusal of the Opensecrets profile of the 8th Congressional district race reveals that Santarsiero received $96,860 came from lawyers and lobbyists, $79,065 from retired individuals, $25,000 from building trade unions, $18,990 from the pharmaceutical industry, and $17,000 from industrial unions. His top contributors include Pepper Hamilton LLP, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Laborers Union, Sheet Metal Workers Union, and Mastercard Inc.

This analysis will look at the largest chunk of money first. Nearly 14% of Santarsiero campaign is financed by lawyers and lobbyists. The $18,500 donation he received from Pepper Hamilton LLP makes up 19% of that. Pepper Hamilton’s website touts their national renown in construction litigation and pharma/medical device litigation. Their experience in this field lines up with contributions made by the construction and pharmaceutical industries. Pepper Hamilton has donated to five other candidates running for the House of Representatives. These candidates are running in either Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York, so it’s clear that the law firm is primarily concerned with influencing policy in the tri-state area.

Opensecrets describes the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers as “a labor union representing more than 750,000 electrical workers nationwide. Like other unions, IBEW closely monitors legislation that would affect the rights of its workers, from health care reform to proposed changes in collective bargaining rules.” IBEW is just one of many labor unions who have endorsed or contributed to Santarsiero’s campaign. United Steelworkers, one of these unions, explained the reasoning behind their endorsement:
“Steve Santarsiero has a proven track record in the Pennsylvania state legislature of fighting tirelessly to better the lives of workers and their families. His support of a stronger education system is well-documented, and he has been a leading voice for creating jobs by rebuilding our crumbling state infrastructure.”

A local branch of the International Union of Operating Engineers expressed a similar sentiment in their endorsement: “His support of organized labor and advocacy for pro-labor legislation has been felt statewide, as he has fought with us against attempts to restrict workers’ rights.”

The money shows that Santarsiero’s base lies in working-class laborers, specifically those involved in construction and industry. Contributions from labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and law firms that specialize in construction litigation like Pepper Hamilton LLP make this quite evident.

While it’s fun to search for evidence of corruption in the finances of candidates, no such evidence exists in the Santarsiero campaign. Opensecrets rates his quality of monetary disclosure at 99.1%, indicating his campaign is operating completely within the boundaries of campaign finance laws. It will be interesting to see if the labor unions hold more sway than the other industries involved in this race, their main opponent being the education industry and its support of Democrat Shaughnessy Naughton.