Scheller also accepts corporate PAC money
As a prominent mega-donor in Pennsylvania politics, Lisa Scheller, who is running against Democratic incumbent Susan Wild in PA-07, is no stranger to using her immense wealth to influence electoral and policy outcomes. After all, over the last decade, Scheller alone has spent more than $1.5 million on Pennsylvania politics – and, on top of that, she has given over $1.2 million to her own campaign this year.
But in 2015, after an FBI probe into Allentown’s contracts and campaign contributions, Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller introduced a proposal to limit how much money wealthy political donors and interest groups could donate to local candidates. Muller’s reforms were aimed at limiting the undue influence of mega-donors like Lisa Scheller, and preventing them from buying politicians’ votes and ultimately legislative outcomes.
After getting called out for being a leader in that corrupt practice, Scheller responded in typical mega-donor fashion: “I feel that limits on the contributions are a suppression of speech.”
“As a mega-donor, the system is working perfectly fine for Lisa Scheller because she has used her wealth to buy access and influence throughout the state. It would be more surprising if she didn’t advocate for unlimited money in politics” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “This undue and unchecked power over government is exactly why hardworking Pennsylvanians are robbed of quality healthcare and lower prescription drug prices. Lisa Scheller isn’t concerned with free speech, she’s obsessed with using her wealth to advance her political aspirations.”
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