It goes without saying that between fundraising, campaign events, and numerous other activities, running a political campaign in the United States is time consuming and expensive. This is true even at the local level, and many individuals have to work part time jobs to make ends meet and still have time to run a campaign. This can limit the diversity of individuals who can run for office to only those who are wealthy enough to not work full-time while campaigning.

A solution to this problem would be for a candidate to receive compensation while running for office, yet state law does not address whether a candidate can use their campaign funds to pay themselves a salary. This opens the door for litigation against candidates who need support to afford basic living expenses, as well as the misuse of such funds by other candidates. That is why I am introducing legislation to expressly allow non-incumbent political candidates in Pennsylvania to accept a limited salary from their campaign funds while running for office. In so doing, my bill establishes guardrails for how and when this can occur, limiting the possibility of abuse. This will allow a more diverse slate of candidates to run for office while signaling to millions of Pennsylvania residents that a career in public office is not an unachievable goal.

The federal government already allows candidates for Congress, President, and Vice President to receive such salaries. It is time that we do the same in our state. I ask that you help Pennsylvania open the door for a new wave of public servants of unique backgrounds by co-sponsoring this important legislation.