Democrats ramp up spending in a race that will determine control of the Pennsylvania state House

Source: NBC News

Jan. 30, 2024, 7:00 AM EST


Democrats have begun ramping up their spending weeks before a Pennsylvania state House special election that will determine control of the chamber.

The open-seat contest on Feb. 13 in the 140th state House district has emerged as a prime target for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee — the national Democratic arm in charge of funding candidates for state legislative races — which said Tuesday it would make an initial $50,000 investment in the race.

News of the group’s investment was shared with NBC News ahead of its release later Tuesday morning. The money comes from a $21 million fundraising haul, which the group announced this month, that will be allocated across an array of states with competitive legislative races. The DLCC's investment is the first sizable one in the race between Democrat Jim Prokopiak and Republican Candace Cabanas by either party.

According to the ad tracking firm AdImpact, there have been only minimal levels of spending in the race so far. The Cabanas campaign, the Republican State Leadership Committee and the Bucks County GOP didn’t respond to questions about planned investments in the race. The race for a district in Bucks County — a purple area in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia — could offer Democrats some clues about how the party is faring in the key county months ahead of the 2024 election.

Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/democrats-spending-pennsylvania-state-house-race-rcna136188