Josh Shapiro has raised a whopping $9 million this year in the national spotlight

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to report a haul of $9 million raised so far this year, as the unusually popular first-term governor’s national profile continues to climb.

Shapiro’s upcoming campaign finance report will be the first he’s released since he was under consideration to be Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, made a prime-time speech at the Democratic National Convention, and became a sought-after surrogate for Democrats nationally.

Shapiro, a Democrat, raised $9 million since Jan. 1, and still has nearly $9 million in cash on hand as of Oct. 22, according to a Shapiro adviser familiar with his soon-to-be-released campaign finance report expected to be filed Friday. Shapiro’s last report detailed his campaign finances through December 2023.

» READ MORE: Josh Shapiro solidified his role as the Democrats’ darling this year. Now they’re taking him on tour.

The Abington resident made major investments into Democrats’ efforts to retain control of the state House, sending $1 million total to the House Democratic Campaign Committee, as well as $350,000 to the Senate Democratic Campaign Committee as officials try to tighten the lead in the GOP-controlled upper chamber, the adviser said.

Shapiro also made a $25,000 contribution to State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D., Philadelphia), who is running for auditor general, and wrote a $100,000 check to former auditor general Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat running to be the state’s next attorney general, the adviser told The Inquirer. Shapiro previously served as Pennsylvania’s attorney general before his election as governor in 2022, and he has shown his prowess for fundraising over his two-decades-long career as an elected official, starting as a state representative.

» READ MORE: Josh Shapiro was everywhere at the DNC, boosting Kamala Harris and his own future

It’s still unclear who his biggest contributors were, until the report is published by the Department of State.

But Shapiro has become a rarity to Democratic fundraisers, some of whom mobbed him “like a celebrity” last week after he spoke to the Harris campaign’s national finance committee, longtime Democratic fundraiser Alan Kessler said.

“Look, elected officials, campaigns know about him, but it’s the finance world that has really been struck by him,” Kessler added.

Friday is the final pre-election campaign finance deadline for state-level political action committees that have made contributions toward campaigns in the upcoming election, in addition to 24-hour reporting requirements through Election Day.

Shapiro’s fundraising so far this year is significant for a first-term governor who won’t run for reelection until 2026. He had been sitting on approximately $6 million in January, meaning he spent approximately $6 million supporting Democratic candidates or on campaign expenses so far this year.

Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.