Candidates collect pledges of support in 5th
Endorsements for the highly competitive 5th Congressional District continue to roll in as the March 20 deadline for filing nominating petitions draws ever closer.
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney has endorsed his own former Deputy Mayor for Labor, Rich Lazer, for the seat.
“When I became mayor, I asked Rich to serve as my Deputy Mayor for Labor, and in less than two years he negotiated and settled a number of longsimmering labor disputes,” said Kenney in a release. “He’s helped to create hundreds of new jobs, and worked with my administration on Rebuild and our pre-K initiative. With Donald Trump in the White House, it’s more important than ever to have leaders like Rich Lazer fighting back in Washington.”
U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-17 of Moosic, has also endorsed former Morgan Stanley wealth manager Lindy Li for the position.
“I’ve known Lindy for several years now, and I recognize her as a real force for change in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Cartwright. “She is an irrepressibly ardent advocate for core Democratic values, an energetic Democratic Party organizer, and someone with whom I would be proud to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Republican candidate Pearl Kim, a former Delaware County assistant district attorney and former state attorney general senior deputy counsel, has meanwhile garnered the endorsements of former Montgomery County Controller and Pennsylvania state Senate candidate Stewart Greenleaf Jr., as well as Philadelphia City Councilman David Oh.
“Pearl has spent her professional career advocating for children and society’s most vulnerable,” said Greenleaf. “She not only did so in the courtroom, but leveraged her knowledge and experience to influence legislation at the state level to protect victims of crime. Pearl will take that same level of advocacy to Washington. We would be fortunate to have her represent us in Congress.”
“Pearl is a fighter,” said Oh. “That ‘fight’ comes from her commitment to justice and her compassion for others, especially those who are victimized, bullied, taken advantage of, or left behind. The residents of the 5th Congressional District need a champion with a servant’s heart. One who will fight for them here at home and down in Washington D.C. Pearl is that champion.”
The Montgomery County Democratic Committee has also endorsed Democrat Ashley Lunkenheimer, a former federal prosecutor and health care advocate.
A release from Lunkenheimer indicated the committee followed the recent endorsement of influential former state Senator Connie Williams.
“Ashley has the ability, the energy, the intelligence, and the experience to be an exceptional representative for the citizens of the 5th Congressional district,” said Williams in her endorsement. “We need more women in Congress, and we especially need young mothers like Ashley – strong, smart, determined.”