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HARRISBURG — The 2022 election for Pennsylvania governor is coming soon, and Spotlight PA wants to make sure you are prepared to make your choice.

The state’s governor wields a vast amount of power. They propose a yearly spending plan that sets the course for months of policy debates with the General Assembly on issues including education spending and taxes.

The governor also has the ability to sign into law or veto bills impacting abortion, guns, the minimum wage, health care, and more; holds vast executive powers that allow them to advance their agenda and appoint cabinet secretaries including the state’s top election official; and are the boss to tens of thousands of state employees from police troopers to environmental inspectors.

Five gubernatorial candidates will be on the Nov. 8 ballot, alongside their party’s candidate for lieutenant governor. Below, we provide brief biographies for the candidates as well as donor information from the beginning of 2021 through June 6, 2022. Then we break down where the top two candidates stand on the issues.