Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Dems position for runs in new 1st, 5th districts
Delaware County Democrats appear solidly on board with a new, consolidated 5th Congressional District covering the county — though those in what had been the 1st Congressional District were left on more unsure footing.
“The districts in the city of Philadelphia and surrounding areas have changed considerably, so I’m going to review the court’s map and what it means for the area before I make any decisions regarding my candidacy for Congress,” said Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia’s former deputy mayor for public engagement, in a statement.
Ahmad had been running in what was previously the 1st Congressional District covering portions of Philadelphia and Delaware County. A spokesman for Ahmad said she had not made any decisions for her candidacy as of Tuesday.
The indecision stems from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court adopting a “remedial congressional redistricting plan” Monday that repositioned the 1st District almost entirely into Bucks County. Philadelphia is now split mostly between the 2nd and 3rd districts, with the southern portion of the city extending into the new 5th District with Delco.
Another 1st District candidate, former Wells Fargo Area President Michele Lawrence, said in a statement that she is still in the race and remains committed to improving the lives of residents. Lawrence said her mission is “not exclusive to certain neighborhoods or towns,” but the question of where, exactly, she will be pursuing that mission remains unanswered. Spokesman Dan Gross said he expects to have further comment on that aspect soon.
Disgraced former traffic court judge Willie Singletary, another Democratic hopeful in the 1st District, was more enthusiastically decisive about his plans.
“I would like to announce that I am still running for Congress where I live!! Therefore, I will be running in the new Pa-3 Congressional District!” Singletary said in a Facebook post.
Rich Lazer, who resigned as Philadelphia’s deputy mayor of labor Friday in anticipation of seeking the Democratic nomination in the 1st District, said Tuesday that he is now eyeing a run in the 5th District.
“The newly reconfigured congressional districts in no way alters my determination to run for congress and serve the people of Philadelphia and Delaware County,” said Lazer, who now lives in the 5th District, in a statement Tuesday. “The people in the newly drawn district are the same hard-working people I grew up with who want better lives for themselves and their children. I have the experience and drive to run a winning campaign and beat the forces of Donald Trump in the fall – regardless of the new boundary lines.”
Several other Democrats formerly looking to secure a nomination in the 1st District did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday, but many that were previously seeking nomination in the 7th – now relegated to Lehigh and Northampton counties – seemed energized by the new boundary lines.
“I think it looks great,” said pro bono attorney Mary Gay Scanlon. “I’ve lived in the same house in Swarthmore 24 years now. For the last seven years, I’ve been part of the 1st Congressional District. I didn’t move; they moved the lines around me.”
Scanlon, chair of Ballard
Spahr’s pro bono committee and former president of the Wallingford Swarthmore School Board, said she has a lot of experience with fair election issues and does not believe an expected challenge to the new map from GOP leaders will bear fruit.
“I think it’s another delaying tactic,” she said. “This is the map and we’re going forward with it.”
“We’ve got a week to start generating signatures and I think we need to just hunker down and drive ahead,” said Dr. Julie Eble, founder and CEO of the Eble Group. “If tomorrow brings us something different, well, we’ll have to deal with it. But at this point I think we’ve just got to drive ahead.”
Eble, who holds a Ph.D in analytical chemistry, said she was glad the new map did not place her in the 6th District, as some proposed maps had and where she would have bowed out in deference to fellow Democrat Chrissy Houlahan.
“I think the map is a good one,” said Eble of Garnet Valley. “I think it brings the counties together as much as possible. I think this is a lot saner (than the previous map) and I think it’s going to be important for us locally to really sort out where we’re going and have representation that makes sense.”
“This is clearly a much more fair map that reflects where communities are more broadly,” said attorney Dan Muroff, former president of the board of CeaseFirePA and the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania. “It just makes sense and, looking forward, I think that’s where this meets that test.”
Muroff of Media said he was looking forward to running in the unified district and was not going to worry about a challenge on the map from Republicans, focusing only on “things that I can control.”
Former federal prosecutor and health care advocate Ashley Lunkenheimer gave much the same response, saying she is focused on the priority of representing the people of the district.
“To be able to have one representative, obviously for the nation as a whole, but also to protect the interests of the people here is exciting – and it’s right in the constitution: We should have fair and equal representation,” said Lunkenheimer of Upper Providence. “This is my home, this gives me a chance to get to know who is in the district and get out to all of the voters in the district, which is primarily Delaware County, and get to talk to them about the things they care about and all the things I’ve done in my career that will make me a good representative in Congress.”
“I think this map is the most respectful of boundaries of any of the ones proposed so far,” said Dr. Molly Sheehan, who also holds a Ph.D in biochemistry and biophysics. “No matter what they had drawn, this is about communities and not about candidates and not about incumbents.”
Sheehan of South Philadelphia said congressional districts can segregate counties, but having Delaware County fall under one district with a portion of the city makes sense from a logistical point of view, where a single representative might have an easier time coordinating with local infrastructure for things like education dollars or public health initiatives.
Though she was hesitant to say anything is impossible in this election cycle, Sheehan said she also believes a Republican challenge to the map would be tossed immediately, noting the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a prior challenge and other states have employed courts to draw boundaries without federal interference.
Realtor Elizabeth Moro, of Chadds Ford had been running in the 7th District but now resides in the 6th District under the new map. She said Tuesday that she had previously committed to running where she lives and will continue her campaign in that district.
Three other candidates for the 7th District seat — former CIA officer Shelly Chauncey of Glen Mills, state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford, and state Se,. Daylin Leach, D-17 of Lower Merion — did not respond to requests for comment. Leach has suspended his candidacy in the wake of accusations involving inappropriate joking and sexual harassment.
Candidates have between Feb. 27 and March 20 to circulate and file nominating petitions.