McClelland screws up campaign finance report again

State Treasurer’s Campaign Secretary Stacy Garrity today called on her challenger Erin McClelland to immediately amend and correct her campaign finance report after she discovered an error that represented an inflation of McClelland’s cash holdings by approximately 10 percent. McClelland’s report, filed Tuesday, listed two identical $10,000 donations from Pittsburgh-based IBEW Local 5. However, a Political Action Committee report filed by Local 5 shows a single donation of $10,000.

“Comparing the two reports tells us that Erin McClelland — whether by mistake or design — double-counted the same $10,000, resulting in a false total that misled the public and amounted to approximately 10 percent of the her campaign’s cash balance,” said Jim Tkacik, Garrity’s campaign manager. “This is simple, basic math. If McClelland can’t get it done, why should voters trust her to manage $150 billion in taxpayer money?”

This mistake is the latest in a series of campaign finance failures by McClelland. After two unsuccessful bids for the U.S. House of Representatives, the Federal Election Commission administratively closed McClelland’s Congressional Campaign Committee after repeated warnings that McClelland failed to file legally required reports.

Earlier this year, news organizations reported that McClelland began raising and spending money on her campaign for state treasurer without first registering her committee with the state, as required by law.

“We understand that financial mistakes happen. Especially when Erin McClelland is involved,” Tkacik said. “But this is someone who wants to take the reins of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, which oversees every dollar spent by the commonwealth. One would think that she might be able to set her own record on campaign finance straight.”