PAC’s donations to Williams top $3 million

State Sen. Anthony Hardy Williams, struggling to pull off an upset in Tuesday's Democratic primary for governor, has received another whopping donation - $1,625,000 - from a political action committee associated with the three Bala Cynwyd businessmen who have largely financed his campaign.

The money is being poured into TV and radio advertising, and into get-out-the-vote operations, Williams campaign spokesman Mark Nevins said.

The donation came Friday from Students First, a Wynnewood-based PAC that promotes "school choice" and the use of state funds to finance tuition at nonpublic schools. The PAC has been used by Joel Greenberg, Arthur Dantchik, and Jeff Yass, all executives at Susquehanna International Group L.L.P., as a vehicle to send money to Williams, of Philadelphia.

According to campaign-finance reports, the contribution raised to $3,315,000 the amount of money that Students First has given to Williams - the largest contributions from a single source in Pennsylvania political history.

The PAC earlier donated $1,690,000, mostly in cash but partly to pay a bill for some of Williams' TV advertising.

Pennsylvania has no limits on the money that a PAC or an individual can give to a candidate.

Joe Watkins, spokesman for Students First, said that Greenberg, Dantchik, and Yass had supplied much, but not all, of the cash. He said the trio had been "very generous" to the PAC.

The three, joined by at least two other wealthy businessmen, appear to have given $5 million or more to Williams through individual donations, through Students First, and through other PACs. The final accounting of PAC receipts won't be available until after the primary.

Greenberg, Dantchik, and Yass have consistently refused to comment on their donations, referring inquiries to Watkins.

Watkins said Monday that the men were not interested in any contracts or financial deals with the state, but that they wanted to push school choice to the front of the Harrisburg agenda. Williams supports using tax dollars to cover tuition at nonpublic schools.

"If this political activity is helping kids and improving the quality of life for kids across the commonwealth, then we have done a good thing," Watkins said.

Williams has been running well behind Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato in the four-way Democratic primary for governor. Onorato has received several single $100,000 donations and has outpaced Williams overall.

The two other Democrats in the race, Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and state Auditor General Jack Wagner, have reported no six-figure donations.