Metcalfe has funding lead over rival
CRANBERRY TWP — Despite a tougher-than-expected Republican primary battle against a well-funded opponent, state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe enters the general election with a sizable fundraising advantage over his Democratic rival.
Metcalfe, who is seeking a ninth term in the 12th Legislative District, has nearly $95,000 in his campaign war chest, according to the latest campaign finance reports.
First-time candidate Lisa Zucco, who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary, has $13,626.
The deadline recently passed for state House of Representatives' candidates to file postprimary finance reports that outline fundraising during the run-up to the May 20 primary and in the aftermath of the nominating contest.
The 12th District includes Adams, Clinton, Cranberry, Forward, Middlesex and Penn townships, and Callery, Mars, Seven Fields and Valencia.
The reports showed that Zucco of Cranberry Township, a technical writer for an architecture and engineering firm, raised more money — $4,985 to $4,285 — than Metcalfe during the latest reporting period, May 6 to June 9.
But Metcalfe, also of Cranberry Township, already had $120,267 in the bank at the start of the period. Comparably, Zucco had $11,314.
Metcalfe's largest contribution during the latest reporting period came from the Pennsylvania Bankers Public Affairs Committee, which gave $500.
His campaign committee also received $250 each from the Pennsylvania Chamber Political Action Committee and the Pennsylvania Committee for Affordable Housing, his report showed.
Zucco's most generous donor was Georgia Berner, a Zelienople businesswoman and one-time congressional candidate, who gave $1,000.
Other notable contributions, according to her report, were $500 from Rebecca Ketsch-mann of Rochester, Beaver County, an organic farm owner; and $250 from the campaign committee of state Rep. Dan Frankel, D-Allegheny.Because she had no competition in the Democratic primary, Zucco has been able to keep spending to a minimum. Her committee finance reports showed that she has spent $5,406 for the year.On the other hand, Metcalfe found himself in a highly-competitive primary against Gordon Marburger of Adams Township.Marburger waged a long-shot write-in campaign but managed to capture 45 percent of ballots cast.The primary contest was Metcalfe's toughest since he was elected in 1998. He spent $46,366 on the race.Marburger's finance reports showed he spent more than $43,000 from his own pocket. His committee spent $30,891, his report showed.The level of spending in the primary that featured a sitting representative may have been unprecedented in Butler County.Also likely never before seen in a Republican primary was the kind of money spent by unions.Big Labor went big for Marburger, according to his recent finance report.The filings showed that in the last two weeks before the primary, 12 union-affiliated political action committees contributed $26,678 to the GOP challenger.
