POLS ON THE STREET: Pa. House Races Start Brewing In Philly; McGinty, Fetterman Press Senate Campaigns

by Joe Shaheeli

MARNI SNYDER kicked off her State Rep campaign at Ethical Society. From left are Judge Carolyn Engel Temin, Snyder, Brian Collins of Crosstown Coalition and Cassandra Belter

1518 SANSOM hosted campaign launch for Marisa Piccarreto. From left are Ward Leader Harold James, attorney Anthony Kyriakakis, Heather Robb, Zachary Scholnick, Piccarreto and attorney Zac Shaffer.

Center City’s 182nd Legislative Dist. is now the center of an intriguing upheaval in a State House seat that turned over dramatically three years ago, when Brian Sims knocked off 28-year veteran State Rep. Babette Josephs as he ran to become the first openly gay legislator in Pennsylvania history.

This week, two candidates emerged to seek Sims’ job in the May 2016 Democratic primary.

Marni Snyder is a criminal-defense attorney with additional deep background in educational and disability law. She formerly worked for the illustrious Judge Carolyn Engel Temin, now retired, who co-authored the Pennsylvania Benchbook for Criminal Proceedings. Her launch party was Nov. 9 at the Ethical Humanist Society. She is well known in the Center City legal community.

The next night it was Marisa Piccarreto’s turn at 1518 Sansom Street. Piccarreto, who is active in Logan Square community groups, runs a small business providing maternity services. A mother with three young children, she, like incumbent Sims, is a member of the LGBT community.

Both women stress education and children’s needs in their campaigns; both vow to fight for a fairer and less-punitive criminal-justice system. Both women’s events were well attended.

The 182nd takes in Center City west of Broad Street, plus the Gayborhood and the Bella Vista section of South Philadelphia. It has the highest concentration of LGBT residents in Pennsylvania – as well as the most affluent high-rises, where traditional grassroots door-knocking is harder than rock-climbing in practice.

Sims has drawn national attention for his 2012 victory. A vigorous spokesman for LGBT causes, he quickly plunged into statewide politics when he backed a losing insurgent for a Pittsburgh State Rep seat in 2014 even as he fended off Josephs in a rematch.

Sims has announced he will seek the nomination for the 2nd Congressional Dist., now held by Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Phila.), in the 2016. He did not respond to repeated inquiries as to whether he intends also to stand for reelection to the State House of Representatives.

Asked what each could bring to the job that their district isn’t getting now, Piccarreto said, “You can’t always focus just on your own agenda in politics. You have to build alliances and work with other people to get things done. This is a skill I bring to the table.”

Other State House races started to pop up across the city. In the 200th Dist. of Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy, State Rep. Cherelle Parker (D-Northwest) will be moving into City Council in the New Year, leaving a tempting office in Harrisburg empty. Democrats in the politically active, high-turnout Northwest are starting to knock on this door.

First out is Chris Rabb, a writer and consultant who teaches at Temple University’s Fox School of Business, who launched at Alma Mater Nov. 10. He earned a Yale bachelor’s and a Penn master’s.

STELLAR lineup of city Republicans came out for Jim Pio’s campaign launch. From left are Ward Leader Bill Pettigrew, Ross Wolfe, Brian Black, RCCC ace Annie Havey, Pio, Dennis Wolfe, Ward Leader Matt Wolfe, Ross Feinberg and RCC Exec. Dir. Joe DeFelice. Photo by Bill Myers

One of the more-promising races for Republicans coming up in 2016 is Jim Pio’s run for State Representative in the 172nd Dist. in Northeast Philly and Montgomery County.

Although Jim is a challenger rather than an incumbent, this would be a winnable seat for any Republican. The seat was held for several decades by Republican John Perzel. While it has a Democratic registration edge, that margin is one of the smallest in the city. Furthermore, the Democratic incumbent does not really want the job and is running actively already for the State Senate. Learn more about Jim at PioForPA.com.

Regardless of these circumstances, Jim Pio is a great candidate. He is young and engaging. He is already running a boots-on-the-ground campaign. He is a lifelong neighborhood resident. He and his wife live in the house he grew up in. He is active in his community and serves as one of the best Committeemen in the city.

Republican 66th Ward Leader Eddie Stine announced on Facebook he is running for State Rep in the 173rd Dist. against incumbent Democrat Mike Drioscoll. His telephone is not accepting calls. Immediately afterward, he announced he was stepping down as ward leader.

Ross Feinberg, who recently challenged Register of Wills Ron Donatucci, will soon be making a public announcement for the 174th Dist.

Just across the city line in Delaware County, Upper Darby Township Councilwoman Sekela Coles has announced her campaign for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the 164th Legislative Dist. in the Democratic primary.

In 2013, Coles became the first African American woman elected to the 7th Dist. in Upper Darby Township Council. For the past two years, she has worked toward building strong, positive relationships with her constituents. After Pennsylvania Gov.-Elect Tom Wolf’s 2014 election, Coles was selected to serve on his Transition Committee as a member of the Drugs & Alcohol Programs team.

With a bachelor’s degree in Finance & Banking from Lincoln University, an MBA from Penn State University, and a PhD from Walden University, Coles plans to make increased opportunity and growth for all of the district’s families the focus of her campaign. Coles lives in Upper Darby with her two children who attend Bywood ES and Beverly Hills MS.

KATIE McGINTY

Coles will be tackling incumbent State Rep. Margo Davidson (D-Delaware). Davidson drew severe opposition from the teachers’ union in the 2014 cycle because of her support for school vouchers. Coles’ early entry into the race indicates public-school supporters have neither forgiven nor forgotten.

McGinty Adds Support For US Senate Campaign

Katie McGinty has secured yet another labor endorsement. The United Food & Commercial Workers Union Local 1776 is backing McGinty’s campaign for US Senate.

“Katie is the candidate running for US Senate that stands out when it comes to understanding and addressing the needs of hard-working people,” said Local 1776 leader Wendell Young. “She has played an important role in Gov. Wolf’s Administration and will bring significant knowledge and experience to the US Senate. Katie stands with us shoulder to shoulder on important issues like increasing the minimum wage and protecting the right of workers to join a union. I know she will be able to deliver for Pennsylvania’s working families because of her proven track record of solving problems.”

Local 1776 represents 21,000 workers throughout the Philadelphia area.

“I am honored to have the support of UFCW Local 1776,” McGinty said. “My top priority will be fighting for policies like increasing the minimum wage and expanding access to affordable education and job training. Sen. Pat Toomey and his allies in Washington have consistently supported policies that have left our families behind. I’ll work to change that.”

This endorsement is particularly significant because the UFCW was one of the few unions to support Sestak during his 2010 Democratic primary against Arlen Specter.

JOHN FETTERMAN

McGinty is running against Sestak and Braddock Mayor John Fetterman in the 2016 Senate Democratic primary. GOP incumbent Toomey is running for reelection.

Fetterman For Senate Has Web Video Series

Braddock, Pa… Mayor John Fetterman’s senatorial campaign released the first video in a web series that will tell the stories of Braddock. The video, “4Kids,” highlights Genyah and her mom, Shiane. Genyah is a student in Braddock’s early-childhood education program, 4Kids.

Each video will highlight a policy or program that has contributed to Braddock’s renewal.

“There is a tremendous income gap, and in many cases that income gap predicts that there is going to be a tremendous education gap. But when you have a program like 4Kids that closes that gap, that strikes an important blow against inequality in this country,” said Fetterman. “This shouldn’t be a matter of ideology or conservative or liberal. It should be that every child in this country deserves to start out with a basic, equal footing in terms of how they transition to the rest of their academic life, and I really do believe it should be a national standard of what every child in this country deserves as a minimum.”

Odds Favor Petri Electorate Sunshine Bill $$ Passage

SCOTT PETRI

State Rep. Scott Petri (R-Bucks) is sponsoring legislation that would require organizations that engage in electioneering and issue advocacy to identify themselves and file campaign-finance reports if their expenditures exceed $1,000.

Petri’s bill is modeled after the Delaware Election Disclosure Act of 2013, which requires the disclosure of sources of outside spending, including that by corporations and unions. The act was an outgrowth of the Citizens United case, which in 2008 challenged US campaign-finance laws that had allowed the government to regulate campaign spending.

“My legislation would ensure the public knows what organizations and individuals are behind advertising campaigns advocating for and against various candidates and issues,” said Petri. With the GOP in control of both chambers and looking to get even with high-spending Democrats, even the Governor may have to sign this bill into law if it gets passed by the General Assembly.

Rob Gleason Lauds Congressman Joe Pitts

Republican Party of Pennsylvania Chairman Rob Gleason echoed other Republican leaders when he said 16th Dist. Congressman Joe Pitts’ (R-Lancaster) decision not to seek reelection in 2016 would create a vacuum.

He stated, “Congressman Joe Pitts is an incredible dean of the huge Pennsylvania Republican delegation. A former teacher, retired Air Force captain and former State Representative, Joe Pitts has dedicated his life to serving his communities, his country, and his world. On behalf of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, I congratulate Congressman Joe Pitts on his storied career.”

Pitts has represented the 16th Dist. since 1997, so the question now becomes: With Pitts gone, do the Democrats have a chance at the seat?
At first glance the answer would appear to be no. Pitts survived the Democratic wave elections of 2006 and 2008 rather easily (he won by 56.6%-39.6% and 55.8%-39.4% margins respectively). Pitts’ lowest percentage came in 2012 when he pulled in 55%.

He won’t be on the ballot this time, however, and this Dutch Country district has become more competitive when it comes to presidential elections. After heavily supporting George W. Bush in 2004 (61% to 38%), the 2008 (51% to 48%) and 2012 (52.4% to 46.3%) elections were much closer even with McCain and Romney both prevailing. Both Lancaster and Reading Cities have seen major growth of Hispanics in recent years, along with the Route 1 “Mushroom Corridor” in agricultural Chester County

Pollsters predict a possible Democratic victory for this seat.

The 16th Dist. includes parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster Counties. Lancaster County Commissioner Scott Martin is considered to be a possible GOP competitor although he has not made his intentions known.

The Democrats, though, already have a candidate in Christina Hartman.

Dems Almost Had Clean Sweep, But For…

Election-day results marked by Democratic sweep of statewide judicial contests. In a stunning sweep, Democrats claimed all statewide judicial offices, ending the most-expensive State Supreme Court race in national history and tilting the balance of the seven-seat State Supreme Court for most of the next decade. Additionally, Democrats won statewide races for a seat each on the 15-member Superior Court and the nine-member Commonwealth Court.

Republicans may have taken it on the chin statewide, but the GOP was able to retake the 37th State Senatorial Dist. in a special election, increasing the Senate GOP Caucus’ majority to 31 seats with the election of Guy Reschenthaler to the suburban Allegheny County district.

Who’s Ahead Nationally, Carson Or Trump?

Full disclosure first: John Zogby says he is a pollster first, then a pundit.

“The former role is collecting and analyzing data mainly from Zogby Polls. The latter is my role as an older guy who has taught American history and political science for 24 years and has been around a very long time. Sometimes the two roles see things differently,” Zogby explained.

With that said, a new Zogby Analytics Poll, conducted among 344 likely Republican primary and caucus voters nationwide, shows developer Donald Trump leading his nearest opponent, neurologist Dr. Ben Carson by 13 points – 30% to 17% — with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in third place at 10%, closely followed by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz with 8% and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush with 7%. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul shows up with 4% and all other candidates are 2% or below.

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