Representative Malcolm Kenyatta has represented his North Philadelphia House district since 2019. He has made a name for himself as a representative willing to fight for the needs of working-class Americans and students. Kenyatta grew up in a working poor family with divorced parents. His dad was a social worker, and his mom was a home health aide. His parents worked constantly, showing Kenyatta just how unfair the economic picture is in American society. This influenced his decision to get involved as a junior block captain at a young age. He began hosting community-based events focused on deep poverty while bringing together experts to try to unpack why Philadelphia has maintained its status as the poorest big city in America.
Kenyatta still serves as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and has now set his sights on a potentially more impactful role: auditor general. The auditor general is the chief fiscal watchdog of the commonwealth — a perfect role for Kenyatta who currently sits on the finance, commerce, judiciary and state government committees. He has also worked to pass our state budgets, providing him with the required set of skills needed to be an effective auditor general.
While speaking with Kenyatta, he mentioned a few very concerning facts about his Republican opponent, Tim DeFoor, including the fact that he is an election denier similar to Donald Trump. DeFoor also made the terrible decision to get rid of the bureau of school audits. Kenyatta let me know during a discussion we had that, “It doesn’t make sense that we are not doing annual compliance audits of our schools. Bear in mind, the funding we appropriate for K-12 education is the largest expenditure out of the budget every year […] He closed the office; I’m going to reopen it.”
The auditor general is admittedly not the most exciting position in the world. Kenyatta acknowledged that it is a job that you have to explain, saying, “I don’t know that people always easily make the connection to what the auditor general role is and what’s happening in their lives, but it’s an important connection for us to make. The auditor general is that one person in government who if they’re doing it well are keeping you from getting screwed, or making sure that the tax dollars are utilized appropriately. That we’re getting the bang for our buck. That we’re using our dollars for things people are actually worried about.”
Kenyatta’s approach to the auditor general is very different from the Republican Tim DeFoor’s. Kenyatta noted that most people do not even know who the auditor general is. He’d like to change that. When discussing DeFoor’s total lack of effort to engage with people living in Pennsylvania, Kenyatta said, “He’s not in there standing up for us. His entire campaign is funded by huge financial interests who want him to, frankly, not focus on all the different aspects of the job that he could be focused on. I find the fact that people do not know him, and aren’t aware of him, it’s really meaningful in terms of his ability to do this job.”
Malcolm Kenyatta is a unique candidate, one who has come along at the right time in the right place. As the 2024 presidential race begins to heat up it is important to remember that there are other candidates who are also running. That includes Kenyatta, whose unique personal story and drive to help the working class make him a rare candidate that deserves to be our next auditor general. He will not get there without us, though. Kenyatta mentioned during our interview that he needs people to spread the word about his campaign. This can be done via social media or just word of mouth.
“People get their political news more and more not necessarily through the national outlets but through Facebook and Instagram. Folks sharing that information is really helpful,” Kenyatta said before we ended our interview.
Many students will be voting for the first time this year and it is important to remember that there are so many great candidates who care about them. Kenyatta, a Drexel University graduate himself, cares about the future of students and wants to use the office of auditor general to improve their lives. Let’s work together to get a fellow Drexel Dragon elected at the statewide level this November. Learn more at his website: malcolmkenyatta.com.
Don’t forget to vote in the primary on April 23. Information on how to vote can be found at this website: vote.pa.gov/Voting-in-PA.