In its first major move in support of a candidate in Pennsylvania this cycle, the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity announced Thursday it will support Scott Wagner in his campaign to unseat Gov. Tom Wolf this November.
The self-proclaimed grassroots free-market advocacy group, deeply entrenched in conservative politics, will canvass, make phone calls and run paid advertisements backing the Republican nominee and state senator, while highlighting Mr. Wolf's "failed policy record" as a Democratic incumbent governor, according to a release.
In a statement, Beth Anne Mumford, the group's Pennsylvania director, said Mr. Wagner's record "reflects strong leadership on causes our activists champion.” The Republican has based much of his campaign on making Pennsylvania more friendly to businesses, while Americans for Prosperity fights for lowering taxes and restraining the influence government has over the economy — ideas, Ms. Mumford said, that Mr. Wolf has failed to abide by in his first term as governor.
"Wolf’s lack of leadership has instead left the Commonwealth with a legacy of bigger government, higher taxes, and runaway spending that consistently stifles economic dynamism and prioritizes Harrisburg’s interests over those of everyday Pennsylvanians," Ms. Mumford said.
The Wolf campaign, in a statement Thursday, said the move by Americans for Prosperity proves Mr. Wagner "is beholden to special interests."
"These big oil and gas barons are trying to buy the election for Scott Wagner so he can continue to give handouts to billionaires like the Kochs by blocking a severance tax and refusing to make big corporations pay their fair share," campaign spokeswoman Beth Melena said.
With three field offices in the state and half a dozen paid staffers, Americans for Prosperity hopes to replicate the success it had in 2016 when it spent more than $1 million helping defeat Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee Katie McGinty, who lost to incumbent Republican Pat Toomey in what ended up being the most expensive Senate race in the country. During that effort, volunteers knocked on more than 135,000 doors and made 2.4 million phone calls.
The group did not signal how much it would spend in support of Mr. Wagner, but with 13 weeks left until the election, its “signature grassroots infrastructure” will be "in full effect" to secure him a victory, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania chapter said. Dozens of volunteers will deploy from their offices in the Erie, Harrisburg and Philadelphia areas to canvass and interact with constituents.
Mr. Wagner "is pleased to have the support of an organization committed to promoting business friendly policies and fostering economic growth," his campaign spokesman said Thursday.
"While Tom Wolf is bought and paid for by the public sector unions that continuously hold our economy and our education system back from the reforms that we desperately need, Scott will continue to work with everyone who shares his vision of protecting paychecks for hardworking Pennsylvanians," spokesman Andrew Romeo said.
A co-sign from Americans for Prosperity could send a jolt of energy into Mr. Wagner's fundraising, which has lacked the support of some key establishment Republicans in Pennsylvania. As of June 4, Mr. Wagner’s camp had $1.6 million on hand, trailing Mr. Wolf’s fundraising by a factor of nearly 10-1.
His campaign account could also see a boost from supporters of Donald Trump, too, after the president praised him in a campaign visit for Senate hopeful Lou Barletta last week. Mr. Wolf has used the president’s endorsement of his opponent as a fundraising plea.
Mr. Wagner trailed Mr. Wolf by double digits in two polls released in June, but his campaign alleged one of those over-sampled Democrats.
Americans for Prosperity, known for more than a decade for its backing of conservative candidates, is “raising the bar” on which candidates it engages with — looking for policy agreements, not party affiliation, the branch spokesman said.
But this renewed focus has clashed with some Republicans recently, including a significant name in Pennsylvania. In May, the group targeted Rep. Lou Barletta over his vote on the $1.3 trillion spending bill two months earlier, as part of a mail and ad campaign criticizing 17 House members from both parties. They criticized Mr. Barletta — the Republican nominee for Senate — for voting to increase waste and spending.
Americans for Prosperity has had Mr. Wagner on their radar since at least 2016, when it recognized him as one of 10 Pennsylvania state lawmakers who scored an "A+" for voting against overspending and in favor of measures that enhanced economic freedom.
Julian Routh: jrouth@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1952, Twitter @julianrouth.
First Published: August 9, 2018, 12:01 p.m.