GOP congressional candidate Jeremy Shaffer picks up U.S. Chamber of Commerce endorsement in key race

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Republican Jeremy Shaffer in a key race to represent part of suburban Pittsburgh in the U.S. House.

Shaffer, an engineer and former Ross commissioner who founded a software company focused on infrastructure, said he was honored to be endorsed by one of the country’s largest pro-business groups.

Shaffer faces Democrat Chris Deluzio, an Iraq War veteran and policy director of cybersecurity at the University of Pittsburgh, in the 17th Congressional District, which includes Beaver County and suburbs in northern, western and eastern Allegheny County.

“As a small-business owner myself, I am very familiar with the issues important to employers and workers across (the 17th District) and our nation,” Shaffer said in a news release.

Political forecasters have said the 17th District race remains a toss-up, with Democrats and Republicans both having a good chance at winning the seat. The district is represented by U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Mt. Lebanon, who opted not to seek reelection and instead launched a bid for the U.S. Senate, coming up short in the Democratic primary.

The U.S. Chamber doesn’t always weigh in on congressional races, but Ashlee Stephenson, senior political strategist for the chamber, said Shaffer’s experience and the closeness of the race prompted the chamber to weigh in on this one.

“Shaffer is the clear choice and we believe he will make a difference in Washington,” said Stephenson. “There are only a couple engineers in Congress and he is going to want to work to get things done and work across the aisle.”

Stephenson said the country is struggling with high inflation, supply-chain issues and a high cost of doing business.

“He knows those solutions that will get us moving on the right path again,” Stephenson said of Shaffer.

The 17th District race also has attracted spending from both Republican and Democratic political groups. Millions have been spent on the race, with TV ads coming to the Pittsburgh airwaves over the past couple weeks.

Shaffer has also received financial support from Americans for Prosperity, a political action committee founded by the billionaire Koch brothers.

The most recent federal campaign filings from the end of June show Shaffer had raised $1.4 million in campaign contributions, including a $1 million loan from himself, and had $937,000 cash on hand. Deluzio had raised $921,000 and had $348,000 cash on hand, the filings show.