Pa. auditor general’s race to pit a state rep against incumbent

A Philadelphia Democratic state lawmaker got past his primary challenger on Tuesday, positioning him to take on incumbent GOP state Auditor General Timothy DeFoor in the Nov. 5 election.

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who also won a primary contest for re-election to his House seat, bested Lehigh County Controller Mark Pinsley,. According to unofficial results from the Department of State, Kenyatta, who had the party’s endorsement, received 64% of the vote to Pinsley’s 36%.

DeFoor, 62, the former Dauphin County controller, was unopposed in his re-election bid in the Republican primary.

“I’m running to be the next auditor general because it’s time for the underdog to be the watchdog for Pennsylvania’s working families,” Kenyatta said in a statement.

During his campaign, Kenyatta, 33, touted his insider’s view of how state government operates from his six years in the House, serving on committees relevant to the role of auditor general including commerce, finance, judiciary, liquor control, and state government committees.

He said having had a voice in shaping state government programs over the years, becoming the auditor general to review how they work is the next step.

Among the priorities he identified in his campaign to serve as the state’s fiscal watchdog, Kenyatta said he would re-establish the bureau of school audits that DeFoor dismantled last year due to staffing concerns brought on by years of budget cuts to the auditor general’s office.

“As auditor, on day one, I will rebuild the Bureau of School Audits and demand accountability from all schools. I will also create the first-ever Bureau of Labor and Worker Protections to take on wage theft, employee misclassification, and union busting. Additionally, I will use the power of the office to measure and support efforts to make communities healthier and safer,” Kenyatta said in his post-election statement.

Pinsley, meanwhile, considered the job he currently holds in Lehigh County to be similar to the auditor general’s role except on a statewide scale. He pledged to look for ways to reduce the state employee health care and in doing so he projected he could save taxpayers at least $150 million.

DeFoor in announcing his decision to seek another four-year term highlighted how he has transformed the auditor general’s office in a nonpartisan way in his first term. He created the first “Intern for Hire” career pathway to a full-time job and replaced the bachelor’s degree requirement with an associate’s degree to be eligible for a job in the department.

Among the audits performed since he took office was one that reviewed the financial practices of 12 school districts where he took them to task for moving money into reserve accounts to allow them to raise property tax rates. His audit of the Pennsylvania Lottery drew attention to loopholes that allow for high-frequency winners of $600 prizes.

He recently launched an audit of charter schools. He audited the Pennsylvania Turnpike, raising a red flag on its high level of debt that he said necessitates the legislature and governor to work together to ensure its fiscal viability going forward.

Although this wasn’t a focus in the campaign, this would be the first time in Pennsylvania that each of the major parties will be represented by a Black man in a statewide contest.