Philadelphia state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announces bid for auditor general

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta announced on Thursday he will be vying for the Democratic nomination for state auditor general in 2024.

Standing outside the Pennsylvania Capitol, the 32-year-old Philadelphia lawmaker said he is running to take back the office that had been in Democratic hands for 24 years until 2020 when Republican Timothy DeFoor was elected to the post.

DeFoor , a Dauphin County native, is expected to seek a second term as the state’s fiscal watchdog who oversees a $42 million operation with a staff of 350-plus employees.

Speaking about his time of representing North Philadelphia in the House of Representatives, Kenyatta said he has served on various committee that prepared him to “call out bad actors, to make sure we are using our dollars effectively and appropriately and then to build the coalitions to deliver on the change that we desperately need.”

His priorities include re-establishing the Bureau of School Audits that DeFoor dismantled last year due to budgetary cuts (“It makes no sense that our auditor general is not auditing one of the biggest expenses that we appropriate every year out of this building,” he said); ensuring state dollars aren’t being misused “to cover up rampant wage theft” and “fund union busting”; and looking at hospitals and long-term care facilities’ use of state dollars to ensure they are reaching the workers providing care.

While his background has been in politics and not as an auditor as is the case with DeFoor who was formerly Dauphin County’s comptroller, Kenyatta said that lack of experience as an auditor or accountant hasn’t hurt past individuals who served as auditor general and had some success in driving policy changes.

“The issue in the auditor general’s office is not that we don’t have enough accountants floating around,” Kenyatta said. “The issue is we don’t have leadership and I’m going to provide that desperately needed leadership.”

He took another shot at DeFoor in criticizing him for playing coy at a state government committee hearing when asked if he felt the 2020 presidential election when DeFoor won the auditor general’s post was free and fair.

“He said something to the effect of well, my election was fair but I’m not sure about the rest of the election,” Kenyatta said. “I happen to believe we probably shouldn’t have an election denier or at least an election denier-lite as our auditor general and when I’m auditor genral, we won’t have that.”

His candidacy, he said, begins with a strong base of support from members of the state’s Democratic congressional delegation, House Speaker Joanna McClinton, Senate Democratic Leader Jay Costa, as well as some unions.

“We have built on Day One, a coalition of people who agree with me,” Kenyatta said. “I know they agree with me in their whole hearts that we deserve better from our government.”

Kenyatta said he plans to seek re-election to his 181st legislative district seat in tandem with his run for auditor general.

“Listen, you don’t quit your job because you’re asking for a promotion,” he said.

Kenyatta has represented North Philadelphia in the state House of Representatives since 2019. He made clear his aspirations for higher office in 2022 when he was defeated for an open U.S. Senate seat in the Democrat John Fetterman.

During his time in the House, he has been a vocal advocate for LGBTQ protections, stronger gun laws, and protecting worker’s rights. He also took the lead in nominating Rep. Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia, as House speaker last month.

He takes pride in being the first openly LGBTQ person of color in the state House as well as the first one to run for U.S. Senate. Kenyatta and his brief political career has gained national attention.

He is featured in two documentaries: an award-winning short, “Going Forward” and an Al Roker produced feature length film, “Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn,” set to premier in U.S. later this month.

Kenyatta was selected for “Out” magazine’s “Out100″ list of members of the LGBT community who are making outsized impacts; and he was selected in 2020 as one of 17 speakers to deliver a joint keynote address to the Democratic National Convention.

Kenyatta is married to Dr. Matthew Kenyatta.