Barbara Hafer
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Barbara Hafer (born August 1, 1943) is an American politician from the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. She served as a member of the
Allegheny County Allegheny County ( ) is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pit ...
Board of Commissioners A county commission (or a board of county commissioners) is a group of elected officials (county commissioners) collectively charged with administering the county government in some states of the United States. A county usually has three to five ...
from 1984 to 1989, as the
Auditor General of Pennsylvania The Pennsylvania auditor general is the chief fiscal officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1850. The current auditor general of Pennsylvania is Republican Timothy DeFoor. History The office of the audito ...
from 1989 to 1997 and as the
Treasurer of Pennsylvania The treasurer of Pennsylvania is the head of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department, an independent department of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), commonwealth's government. The treasurer is elected every four years. Treasurers are limited to two c ...
from 1997 to 2005. In 1990, Barbara Hafer won the Republican nomination for governor challenging incumbent Democratic governor Robert P. Casey Sr. in the general election. On many issues Auditor Hafer ran to the left of the moderate Governor Casey. Bob Casey supported government bans on
abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...
, with Hafer being pro-
abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...
. Governor Casey maintained a strong lead in the polls and enjoyed high approval ratings. Hafer campaigned hard, but hurt herself when during the campaign she called the governor a "redneck Irishman." Her campaign was widely criticized for the remark helping Governor Casey seal his lead in both rural areas of the state which are normally Republican, as well as cement strong support from more traditional Democratic districts. Auditor Hafer was defeated by thirty-six percentage points. Hafer explored a second run for the Republican nomination for Governor of Pennsylvania in the 2002 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election, but withdrew after the Republican Party favored Attorney General Mike Fisher. She went on to personally endorse Democratic nominee
Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2 ...
in the gubernatorial general election of 2002 and joined the Democratic Party in 2003. After leaving office in 2005, Hafer considered running for several offices. Aside from a brief February 2010 candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district seat left vacant by the death of Rep.
John Murtha John Patrick Murtha Jr. ( ; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, re ...
, she never did.


Early political career

Hafer began her working career as a public-health nurse in the
Monongahela Valley The Monongahela River ( , ), sometimes referred to locally as the Mon (), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed August 15, 2011 river on the Allegheny Plateau in north ...
. She would later use this experience as a platform in her 1990 gubernatorial campaign, in which she claimed a pregnant woman died in her arms from a botched illegal abortion, and subsequently supported a woman's right to an abortion. She founded the Allegheny County Center for Victims of Violent Crime in 1973. Elsie Hillman, one of the donors to the center, convinced Hafer to run for public office, leading Hafer to run for the
Allegheny County Allegheny County ( ) is a county in Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,250,578, making it the state's second-most populous county, after Philadelphia County. Its county seat and most populous city is Pit ...
Board of Commissioners in 1983. She defeated incumbent Republican County Commissioner William Hunt in the Primary Election, who had dismissed Hafer as "the little nurse from Elizabeth." In 1988, she ran for State Auditor General, and defeated incumbent Democratic Auditor
Donald A. Bailey Donald Allen Bailey (July 21, 1945 – March 9, 2020) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania. He was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1983, Auditor General of Pennsylvania from 1985 ...
. She went on to serve two four-year terms in the post. In
1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
, she won the Republican Nomination for
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
to go against the incumbent Democratic governor
Robert P. Casey Robert Patrick Casey (January 9, 1932 – May 30, 2000) was an American lawyer and politician from Pennsylvania who served as the 42nd governor of Pennsylvania from 1987 to 1995. He served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the Pen ...
in the general election. In many areas, Auditor Hafer ran to the left of moderate Governor Bob Casey Sr. Governor Casey was noted for his strong opposition to abortion rights with Auditor Hafer being pro-choice. Casey maintained a sizable lead in the polls and high approval ratings. Hafer campaigned hard, but hurt herself when she called the governor a "redneck Irishman." Hafer's campaign was widely criticized for the gaff, helping Governor Casey seal his commanding lead in both rural parts of the state which are predominately Republican as well as cementing strong support from the more traditional Democratic districts. Auditor Hafer was defeated by thirty-six percentage points in one of the most lopsided Gubernatorial elections in state history. Unable to seek a third term as auditor general under Pennsylvania term limits Barbara Hafer announced she was running for
State Treasurer In the state and territorial governments of the United States, 54 of the 56 states and territories have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the office of New York State Treasurer in 1926, in which the duties were transfer ...
in 1996 to succeed State Treasurer
Catherine Baker Knoll Catherine Baker Knoll (September 3, 1930 – November 12, 2008) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008, when she di ...
. She faced Treasurer Knoll's daughter Mina Knoll in the general election. A bitter race ensued, with Auditor Hafer challenging Knoll's residency status (she lived in New York) while the Knoll For State Treasurer campaign alleged Auditor Hafer improperly used state funds for personal use as auditor general. Auditor Hafer would go on to win the election. The race opened a rift between the two women that culminated in
2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
when Treasurer Knoll herself ran against Treasurer Hafer for treasurer. As the two most prominent women in Pennsylvania politics at the time, the election was noted for being even more bitter than the previous one; Treasurer Knoll again accused Treasurer Hafer of questionable state funds use as auditor general, while Treasurer Hafer countered that the SEC had investigated Knoll during her time as treasurer. Hafer also called the Knoll campaign "lying scumbags." Treasurer Hafer was narrowly reelected. Her successor for auditor general,
Bob Casey Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Casey is ...
, attempted to audit the public-employee pension funds that Treasurer Hafer is on the boards of. This opened a lengthy legal battle between Pennsylvania's two financial offices. Treasurer Hafer maintained no wrongdoing and alleged Auditor Casey had a conflict of interest, while Auditor Casey called her "a smear artist." Auditor Casey would also succeed Treasurer Hafer as state treasurer. The ''Pennsylvania Report'' said that "She has never marched to a regular drummer, but that is part of her long-running appeal." In a 2002
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Feature story A feature story is a piece of non-fiction writing about news covering a single topic in detail. A feature story is a type of soft news, primarily focused on entertainment rather than a higher level of professionalism. The main subtypes are ...
designating politicians with yearbook superlatives, she was named the "Most Popular."


2002 gubernatorial election and party-switch

In
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
, Treasurer Hafer explored a run for the Republican nomination for governor (incumbent Republican governor
Mark Schweiker Mark Stephen Schweiker (English pronunciation:   ˈɑː͡ɹk stˈiːvən ʃwˈe͡ɪkɚ born January 31, 1953) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 44th governor of Pennsylvania from October 5, 2001, to January 21, 2003. ...
had already announced his intention not to contest the race). However, after it became clear that the GOP establishment had already decided on Pennsylvania
Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
Mike Fisher as their candidate, she dropped out of the race. Treasurer Hafer went on to endorse the Democratic nominee, former Philadelphia mayor
Ed Rendell Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician, author, and former prosecutor who served as the 45th governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011. He previously served as chair of the national Democratic Party from 1999 to 2 ...
, effectively severing all her remaining ties to the Republican Party. Her decision to endorse Mayor Rendell "psychologically helped break" the back of the Fisher For Governor campaign., and Mayor Rendell went on to win the Election. In 2003, Treasurer Hafer completed her political conversion by switching to the Democratic Party. Her switch was criticized by Senator
Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum Sr. ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's Chairman of the United Sta ...
and other Pennsylvania Republicans, for using the backing of the party for five statewide campaigns, only to then switch without even contesting a Primary. She countered that Senator Santorum being the "de facto" leader of the state party has moved them further to the right, alienating socially liberal (but fiscally conservative) Republicans like herself. She cemented herself as a Democrat by donating the maximum amount to Massachusetts Senator
John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...
's Presidential campaign, and endorsing
Dan Onorato Daniel Onorato (born February 5, 1961) is an American Democratic politician from the state of Pennsylvania. He served as the chief executive of Allegheny County from 2004 to 2012, and in 2010, he was the Democratic nominee for governor. He lost ...
in his successful bid for Allegheny County chief executive. Hafer also donated to Mayor John Street's re-election campaign.


Later political career

After her party switch, it was reported that she was considering challenging long-time rival and incumbent
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
Catherine Baker Knoll Catherine Baker Knoll (September 3, 1930 – November 12, 2008) was an American politician and member of the Democratic Party. She was the 30th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, serving under Governor Ed Rendell from 2003 to 2008, when she di ...
in the Democratic primary. She was also reportedly considering seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate against Republican senator
Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum Sr. ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's Chairman of the United Sta ...
, with a likely primary challenge to the front-runner
Bob Casey Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician who served from 2007 to 2025 as a United States senator from Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Casey is ...
, Hafer's other political rival. Hafer however affirmed that she buried the hatchet with all of her former rivals long ago, and did not run against either, endorsing Bob Casey Jr. as soon as he announced his Senate candidacy. Barbara Hafer's daughter, Beth sought to run against Republican Congressman
Tim Murphy Timothy Murphy may refer to: Politics * Tim Murphy (American politician) (born 1952), American Republican Party politician from Pennsylvania * Tim Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1959), Canadian politician * Timothy J. Murphy (1893–1949), Iri ...
in
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
, but narrowly lost the Democratic primary.


Arrest and conviction

In February 2010, five years after leaving the office of Treasurer, Hafer declared her candidacy for the
Congressional A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...
seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...
left vacant by the death of incumbent Democrat
John Murtha John Patrick Murtha Jr. ( ; June 17, 1932 – February 8, 2010) was an Politics of the United States, American politician from the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, re ...
. She sought the Democratic nomination for the May special election. During that time, Hafer accepted money from her chief campaign backer and lied about it to the FBI. On July 21, 2016, Hafer was indicted on federal charges of lying about taking in more than $500,000 in consulting fees from a company that did business with her office. U.S. Attorney Peter Smith said Hafer lied to federal agents who interviewed her in May about money she secretly took in from a business person referred to in the indictment only as "Person #1". Sources close to the investigation described "Person #1" as moneyman Richard W. Ireland, of Chester County, one of Hafer's biggest campaign contributors. The case was investigated by the FBI, IRS and Pennsylvania State Police. She was later convicted and sentenced to 36 months probation and a $50,000 fine.


Personal life

In the fall of 2010, Hafer was named in an estate lawsuit that revolves around her late husband, John Pidgeon. The lawsuit claims that she shifted more than $900,000 from her late husband's children and grandchildren to herself and her daughter in the final months of her husband's life. Pidgeon's children and grandchildren are claiming that Hafer took advantage of her husband's declining health and mental status to gain financial benefit. Prior to her political career, Hafer was employed as a
registered nurse A registered nurse (RN) is a healthcare professional who has graduated or successfully passed a nursing program from a recognized nursing school and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar government-authorized ...
. She resides in
Indiana, Pennsylvania Indiana is a borough in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 14,044 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Indiana, Pennsylvania micropolitan area, about northeast of Pittsburgh. ...
.


See also

*
List of American politicians who switched parties in office The following American politicians switched parties while they were holding elected office. Federal House of Representatives Senate Other State Local See also * List of Canadian politicians who have crossed the floor ...


References


External links


Hafer for Congress
official congressional campaign website

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hafer, Barbara 1943 births Living people Pennsylvania auditors general Pennsylvania Democrats Pennsylvania politicians convicted of crimes Pennsylvania Republicans American people convicted of making false statements Politicians from Los Angeles Politicians from Pittsburgh State treasurers of Pennsylvania Women in Pennsylvania politics 21st-century American women Allegheny County Councilmembers (Pennsylvania) Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government