POLS ON THE STREET: Twin Brawls Spark AG Primaries
Despite amassing an impressive string of endorsements – particularly in Democrat-rich Allegheny Co. – and despite a bully lead in a statewide poll released last week, Pat Murphy was unable to secure the Democratic State Committee’s endorsement at its meeting in State College last weekend.
After several ballots, DCC decided not to make an endorsement in this high-profile race for the most-important State office on the ballot in 2012. Democrats have never elected a man to this position. But they feel they have a shot this year, as the incumbent Republican Linda Kelly is a place-holder for Tom Corbett, who stepped down from the AG’s post when he was elected Governor. Kelly will not run for this office. Corbett is grooming Cumberland Co. DA David Freed to run for the job as the GOP ticket. Freed, as the son-in-law of legendary AG Leroy Zimmerman, has massive cred with state- organization Republicans but he is not well known to voters. Is this the shot the Dems have been waiting for these 32 years?
Two other Easterners – Lackawanna Co. prosecutor Kathleen Kane and Philadelphia-based attorney Dan McCaffery also have strong coffers and bases of support. Although Murphy always led in the balloting, it became apparent neither McCaffery nor Kane were prepared to yield. So an open primary it will be, in this case.
For other statewide offices, DCC moved promptly to cinch the ticket. State Rep. Eugene DePasquale (D-York) was unopposed for Auditor General. Treasurer Rob McCord and US Sen. Bob Casey were both tapped for reelection without a fuss.
The poll was conducted by Global Strategy Group, a firm with a track record in Democrat campaigns. It showed Murphy leading his closest challenger Kathleen Kane, 36% to 15%. Dan McCaffery, who only announced his candidacy two weeks ago, finishes third with 8%.
Murphy had the advantage in every part of the state, especially so in the four-county suburbs of Southeastern Pennsylvania, which is where Democrats win close general elections these days. There, Murphy earns a staggering 61% of the vote, with his opponents trailing dramatically (Kane at 8% and McCaffery at 5%). In Philadelphia, McCaffery’s home region, Murphy leads McCaffery by 32 points – 37% to 5%.
Polls this early in the race tell little, of course. Most voters have yet to learn these candidates’ names. If enough money is spent between now and the Apr. 24 primary, these standings can easily change.
Murphy has backing from a broad spectrum of Democrat leaders, starting off with former Gov. Ed Rendell, who said of him he “has prosecuted terrorists and served our country in combat. As Attorney General, I know Patrick will stop at nothing to protect the people of this Commonwealth, and that’s why he has my support. Patrick is the only one in this race who has fought the GOP and won.”
Murphy now claims the support of 55 elected officials from across Pennsylvania, 20 County chairs and 21 labor unions. Southeastern luminaries who have come out for Murphy include Congress Members Chaka Fattah and Allyson Schwartz (both D-Phila.); State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery); State Reps. Larry Curry (D-Montgomery), Margo Davidson and Thaddeus Kirkland (D-Delaware), and Michael O’Brien, Dwight Evans, Ron Waters, Michael McGeehan and Tony Payton (all D-Phila.); and Philadelphia City Council Members María Quiñones Sánchez and Bill Greenlee.
Also in Murphy’s corner is Philadelphia DA Seth Williams, who said, “Tough and smart, Patrick Murphy has the experience and passion to protect the people of Pennsylvania. As Attorney General, Patrick will be the champion that local law enforcement needs to put dangerous criminals behind bars and keep our streets safe. Patrick put his life on the line to defend our nation. He will bring that commitment to this job, and Pennsylvania will be safer for it.”
Unions in Southeastern Pennsylvania backing Murphy include Laborers’ District Council, United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1776, Sprinkler Fitters Local 692, Plumbers Union Local 690, Ironworkers Local 401 and Communications Workers of America Local 13000.
An Iraq War veteran who unseated an incumbent Republican Congressman in Bucks Co. in 2006, Murphy is presentable and articulate. But his rivals have already zoomed in on his major weakness in a general election: his lack of prosecutorial experience in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (His legal experience is chiefly in the US military.)
- STATE REP. John Myers, announcing his retirement, gives nod to his chief of staff Stephen Kinsey to replace him in State House.
SMITH DOMINATES THE AIR WAR
If you’re wealthy enough, you too can start running campaign TV commercials for the Republican senatorial primary more than four month before the election.
Armstrong Co. businessman Tom Smith built and then sold a coal-mining company. With part of the proceeds, he has funded his bid for the right to take on incumbent Democrat Sen. Bob Casey in the fall, to the tune of $5 million so far. This wealth is a tactical advantage that makes most observers count him among the frontrunners on the Republican side.
Smith’s second ad, a 30-second spot, is scheduled to air on cable this week. It focuses on the national debt, which he says amounts to $135,000 per person. In the commercial, the candidate calls for “reducing taxes, reducing federal spending, and reducing the size and scope of the federal government in all of our lives.”
Smith began running TV ads on Dec. 7. No one else in either Democrat or Republican primaries has bought airtime.
In another coup, Smith claimed victory at the Pennsylvania Republican Party Northeast Central Caucus vote last week.
Tom Smith’s combined total for two caucus events led the field. Northeast Central Caucus Totals: Tom Smith-12, Tim Burns-4, David Christian-3, Steve Welch-3, Sam Rohrer-2, Marc Scaringi-2.
“This is a welcomed victory for Tom Smith’s campaign to retire Sen. Casey and a testament to the momentum we’ve continued to build,” said Campaign Mgr. Jim Conroy. “We are grateful to the Republican Committee members of the Northeast Central caucus who affirmed Tom’s message of spending cuts, job creation and reducing the deficit.”
Another Northeasterner, State Rep. Mario Scavello (R-Monroe) has endorsed Smith’s campaign. The lawmaker is currently seeking the new State Senate seat in Monroe Co.
“Tom Smith has the conservative message, professional campaign and resources necessary to defeat Bob Casey in November,” said Scavello.
In the Southeast, Smith has won the backing of influential activist Bob Guzzardi of Ardmore, who said he supports Tom Smith “because he has the financial resources.”
WELCH HANGS OBAMA ’ROUND CASEY’S NECK
Another Republican candidate, Steve Welch, is pitching an attack on President Barack Obama in his new web video. The Chester Co. entrepreneur castigates the Obama administration for departing from the path set by the Founding Fathers.
“This administration has had a huge lurch to the left. We are a society that has gone from historically having a relatively limited, decentralized government to in the last couple years a huge massive expansion in the size of government and the increase of role and regulation of government. And, that’s a direct conflict for what our founding fathers believed,” Welch says.
This follows a pattern established by Welch in his campaign, of targeting Casey by shooting at Obama.
Welch has been diligently courting delegates statewide. He too has millions of his own money to sink into his race if he wishes, and some insiders think if State Committee decides to endorse at all, he may be the one to get the nod.
ROHRER CHARMS YORK TEA PARTY
Last week, former State Rep. Sam Rohrer of Berks Co. tapped a vein of support in his native Dutch Country. At a forum hosted by the York 9-12 Patriots, a Tea Party group, he ruled the US Senate straw poll that concluded the festivities.
Rohrer is something of a hero to Tea Party activists in the Keystone State. He mounted a determined underdog challenge to Tom Corbett for the 2010 gubernatorial nomination and made a lot of friends for his uncompromising advocacy of conservative principles. He ran particularly well in the Dutch Country in 2010 and may repeat the process this year.
York 9-12 Patriots tallied the votes as follows: Sam Rohrer-75, Marc Scaringi-30, Tom Smith-25, Steve Welch-25, Joe Vodvarka (D)-4, John Kensinger-2, Tim Burns-1.
Rohrer’s Campaign Mgr. Zac Moyle said afterward, “Sam Rohrer is the clear conservative choice of the Pennsylvania grassroots, and he showed that tonight. Sam Rohrer is the proven conservative who will go to Washington and fight to roll back ObamaCare and dismantle the Obama Agenda. We are very grateful for the support of the York 912 Patriots and Tea Party activists throughout the state.”
G.O.P. NOW DOWN TO ONE AUDITOR PICK
Chester Co. Treasurer Ann Duke ended her campaign for the Republican nomination for Auditor General in light of the support State Rep. John Maher (R-Allegheny) has received from Gov. Corbett.
“As I have traveled the state for the past eight months, it has been wonderful to meet dedicated Republican supporters who are committed to winning this office in November,” said Duke. She said she wants “to offer my support to Rep. John Maher. I am confident his experience and strong financial background will make him a great Auditor General.”
BARLETTA BACKS SANTORUM
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum may no longer reside here, but he is tapping a reservoir of good will in Northeastern Pennsylvania as he pursues the GOP presidential nomination.
Santorum has received the endorsement of Congressmen Lou Barletta (R-Luzerne) and Tom Maino (R-Lycoming).
“Rick Santorum has been a good friend of mine for many years. He was always supportive, especially when I was Mayor of Hazleton and during my campaigns. He is a great leader and an incredibly hard worker,” Barletta said.
LEADERS BACK MYERS’ AIDE
Because State Rep. John Myers (D-Northwest) is of retirement age and has been faced with health issues, his district, the 201st, was mercilessly carved up and redistributed in reapportionment. This indescribable new 2012 district looks like a loopy letter in a foreign alphabet; it swirls through patches of Germantown, Olney, Oak Lane, Logan and Hunting Park.
Not long after reapportionment was completed last month, Myers announced his retirement. Most North and Northwest Philadelphia pols have settled on a successor for Myers: his chief of staff Stephen Kinsey.
This is a normal path of progression for Philly State Reps. If they can’t pass on their seat to a relative, they often deed it to their chief of staff. And it’s a rule that makes sense for public business: A chief of staff must know his boss’s work at least.
Kinsey is a fairly young man. Figuring out and getting around this odd district will favor a young man’s energy. A lifelong resident of Germantown, he brings good organizational training to the General Assembly, having acquired a Master’s of Business Administration at Eastern University.
Kinsey was endorsed at Center in the Park in Germantown by a rack of lawmakers who know him from Capitol Hill: State Sen. LeAnna Washington (D-Northwest) and State Reps. Mark Cohen, Dwight Evans and Cherelle Parker (all D-N. Phila.), some of whom ceded territory to the new 201st as well as Vanessa Lowery Brown from West Philadelphia. Recently retired Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller put her stamp of approval on Kinsey. Germantown is a community where the political legend of John Anderson still stirs passions, and speaker after speaker painted Kinsey as a fit heir to Anderson.
This new district makes ward leaders unusually important – at least in a first-term election. Kinsey showed to potential challengers he has this crucial team squarely in his corner by lining up five of them – Reed Miller (59th), John Connelly (12th), Mabel Windham (17th), Emilio Vazquez (43rd) and Shirley Gregory (49th) – to endorse him, making it hard for another aspirant to groom a base anywhere.
186TH SEETHES AS ROBERTS ENTERS
The 186th Dist. is delivering more thrills for political junkies than a four-way bullfight, now attorney Damon Roberts has entered the fray.
The rumble began two years ago when an aide of State Sen. Anthony Williams (D-W. Phila.), Kenyatta Johnson, toppled long-term incumbent State Rep. Harold James in this district, centered on the Schuylkill River, which takes in Point Breeze, Grays Ferry and a snip of Kingsessing in Southwest Philadelphia. (The new 186th looks pretty much like the old one – a rare bequest for a departing freshman to leave!)
When Johnson left for City Council on New Year’s Day, Williams’ team lined up behind another fellow-staffer, Jordan Harris. The city’s Harrisburg delegation rallied around him. Meanwhile, ward leaders had coalesced around one of their own, Ed Nesmith in the 2nd. Fawwaz Beyha asserts he represents indigenous businesspersons in this impoverished area. What niche is left for a fourth candidate?
Roberts made his game-plan clear at his home parish, Church of the Redeemer, last weekend. There he was endorsed by the new Black Clergy of Philadelphia & Environs President Rev. Terrence Griffith; Roberts’ own pastor, Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Croft; and two other South Philadelphia clergymen. Ministers and spokesmen stressed Roberts is “a good man” and pledged the support of their congregations to his cause.
Rev. Griffith made clear he had conversed closely with other candidates in this race. His main concern, he said, was with people’s keeping their word.
PRESLEY CHALLENGES YOUNGBLOOD’S 198TH
Charisma D. Presley, a lifelong resident of the Germantown and Nicetown communities, announced her candidacy for the 198th State House Dist. last week. An activist, educator, mother, and wife, Presley has a proven record of community service, coalition-building, and resource-development—all of which she will utilize with her neighbors in improving the 198th Dist. Presley’s campaign focuses on three interconnected principles: educational opportunity, economic empowerment and neighborhood revitalization.
The incumbent, 18-year veteran State Rep. Rosita Youngblood (D-Northwest), has been challenged before. Thanks to reapportionment, however, her district will be significantly different in 2012. Formerly concentrated in W. Mount Airy, Germantown, Nicetown and Logan, Youngblood just lost Logan while picking up thousands of new constituents in Chestnut Hill, E. Germantown and Tioga where she is unknown.
“This district is rich in resources but has been treated rather poorly,” declared Presley. “With so many in our district struggling to make ends meet, we need to move beyond the stale approach from Harrisburg that has left so many of us divided. I will focus on building effective partnerships within our community to expand educational and employment opportunities for everyone, and fight for cleaner and safer neighborhoods in every corner of the district.”
Presley has created and implemented several successful programs throughout the city, such as the “Save Our Pools” initiative, the Villanova University/ Germantown High School Partnership, and another that joins a college-based learning program with a local church to assist female ex-convicts in learning reentry professional skills.
“The economy is tough, and it seems at times as if our community has been hit the hardest,” stated Presley. “More than ever, we need a tenacious fighter in Harrisburg who will stand at the side every resident – not just a chosen few. We need a representative who values education for what it is – a ladder that will propel our children into the 21st-century job market. We need someone who understands that redevelopment projects have a greater likelihood of success when open communication is promoted between developers and residents – not ignored. On Apr. 24, I hope to be the representative that makes this change happen.”
An administrator at Villanova University, Presley currently serves on several community boards and in many civic organizations throughout Philadelphia. Notably, she served as Democratic committeeperson for the 59th Ward, program member for the Nicetown Give Back Festival, Board member of the Nicetown Advisory Committee and assistant coach of the Indo Pacific Sailfish Aquatics Club. She is also an active member of Beloved St. John Evangelistic Church.
ANTHONY JOHNSON HAS ANOTHER WHACK AT 180TH
The man who challenged State Rep. Angel Cruz (D-Kensington) in the 180th House Dist. two years ago has stated he’ll be back this spring.
Johnson, an educator and youth worker, was knocked off the ballot after a petition challenge in 2010, if hoping he’ll be better known this time – and his incumbent opponent less well known.
Redistricting has altered the contours of the 180th, which in 2000 was drawn to be a solidly Hispanic district – the only one in Pennsylvania. Cruz has lost Hispanic constituents west of 2nd Street while picking up non-Hispanics in Harrowgate and Port Richmond.
Johnson fired off a letter to Gov. Tom Corbett last week berating him for making Food Stamp cuts. He accused Corbett of “waging a war on the citizenry of poor and middle class Pennsylvania families.”
The funding is all federal, asserts Johnson, so there’s no State money at stake. Why, then? “Pennsylvania has one of the lowest reported cases of food-stamp fraud, according to the federal government, so it’s not fraud that should concern you,” wrote Johnson. “Is it because of the increase of middle-class and poor Pennsylvanians receiving public assistance, which is somehow putting a strain on the state’s commerce? It must be noted five out of the 10 businesses in Pennsylvania sell food; therefore, your cuts will significantly reduce profits for those food companies which will lead to loss of employment and astronomically increase the numbers of Pennsylvanians who will require food-stamp assistance.”
KEVIN BOYLE A SOPHOMORE?
State Rep. Kevin J. Boyle (D-Northeast) is running for reelection. Boyle, a Fox Chase resident and the brother of influential State Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Northeast), was first elected last year when he unseated Republican silverback State Rep. John Perzel.
In announcing his reelection bid, Boyle said, “Despite being in office only a year, I promised and delivered on many of my 2010 campaign issues. The Fox Chase Cancer Center is here to stay and not moving and just announced a promising merger with Temple University; the Mayfair Community Center is alive and well; the City of Philadelphia has announced the creation of a blight court to combat negligent landlords and my office has serviced nearly 10,000 constituents looking for help in this challenging economy.”
Boyle commented on goals for the future, “many serious threats still face our local communities. Locally, there are not enough high-performing schools for our children, especially in light of recent Catholic-school closings. I will also keep up the fight against the proposed methadone clinic for Frankford Avenue. In Harrisburg, I will continue to campaign for the passage of my legislation that imposes more stringent reporting requirements on witnesses of sexual abuse which I introduced in response to the events related to the Penn State/Jerry Sandusky case.” In promoting this legislation, Boyle appeared on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360”, the NBC’s “National Nightly News” and Fox 29.
In August, Boyle was distinguished by Pennsylvania Political Report as “most impressive freshman Democrat” in the House of Representatives. Boyle serves on the Urban Affairs, Finance and Health Committees.
G.O.P. SEEKS AN ENTRANT IN 200TH
Calvin R. Tucker, Republican 22nd Ward leader and Chairman, Philadelphia Black Republican Ward Leaders, was selected as the 200th Legislative Dist. Republican Caucus Chairman. He will work with all of the leaders in the new 200th Dist. to find and recommend a community-oriented Republican candidate to challenge for election.
The 200th Dist. boundaries include: part of 9th Ward (Division 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 16 and 17), 22nd Ward, 50th Ward and part of 59th Ward (Divisions 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21).
“For any individual who may have interest in being a candidate for this office, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me ASAP so that we can get the appropriate documentation submitted,” says Tucker.
Tucker states this district has been represented by a Democrat as long as he can remember over the last 30 years and it is time we bring a new perspective on the problems, issues and concerns of this community.
A GREEN IN THE 177TH?
Richard Antipuna, a diligent blogger who has been active in Green Party of Philadelphia circles, is seriously exploring a run in the River Wards’ 17th Dist., which is held by State Rep. John Taylor (R-Kensington).
