Democratic candidates in 5th show lighter side
PHILADELPHIA » There’s something special about a political forum where candidates tell jokes, take selfies – and even break out in song.
That was how the NextGen America’s “Keeping Up With the Candidates” forum for the Democrats running in the 5th U.S. Congressional District race ended Thursday night after candidates shared brief bios of themselves and answered questions like, “Which coffee do you prefer — Dunkin Donuts or Wawa?” the same way.
Of the 11 candidates vying for the nomination, teacher and environmental advocate Lawrence Arata of Haverford; Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland; former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Labor Rich Lazer; American Association for Cancer Research trustee Lindy Li of Philadelphia; former U.S. Assistant Attorney Ashley Lunkenheimer of Upper Providence; attorney and former Wallingford-Swarthmore School Board member Mary Gay Scanlon; scientist Dr. Molly Sheehan; state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford; and journalist/entrepreneur David Wertime of Lower Merion attended. State Rep. Margo Davidson, R-164 of Upper Darby, and entrepreneur Theresa Wright of Norristown did not.
Whoever wins from that field May 15 will face Republican Pearl Kim, a former state senior deputy attorney general and Radnor resident in the fall.
“In anticipation of the primary, we wanted to give an opportunity for the candidates to speak to the issues that young people care about,” Jarrett Smith, Pennsylvania state director of NextGen America and the evening’s moderator, said.
The conclusion of the event allowed the candidates to display another side.
Kirkland received laughter and applause after breaking into song.
“It’s so nice we had this time,” he crooned. “When you go to the polls May the 15th, don’t you dare forget to vote ‘Kirkland.’”
Lunkenheimer told of how she and her wife would take their three kids to various marches and rallies from Washington to the Philadelphia International Airport to Rose Tree Park.
Her 6-year-old son, with other interests, one time turned to them and said, “Moms, my body, my choice.”
Lazer shared how his son used to love running around the halls and offices of City Hall when he was deputy mayor of labor. After he quit to run for Congress, his son asked if they could go back so he could run the halls again.
His dad explained he didn’t work there anymore that he was basically working out of his car.
When he picked him up from school after that, his teacher approached Lazer and explained his son “was upset because he said ... my dad works out of his car.”
Scanlon took a moment to turn around and take a selfie of herself from the stage with the audience behind her.
Arata had a solemn moment as he read a poem about courage that his son, Brendan, wrote before dying of an opioid overdose on Dec. 9.
There was, of course, the usual litany of questions spanning from immigration to gun legislation to health care. One question that elicited some unique responses was what issue did the candidates not agree with the Democratic Party.
Sheehan said she didn’t agree with DCCC Chairman Ben Ray Lujan’s statement that there is no litmus test to be a Democrat, especially regard to stances on abortion.
“There’s no litmus test?” she said. “Does that mean if you found someone in the South who was pro-slavery but said they were a Democrat ... that you would consider supporting them if they could raise the money and you thought they could win? ... I do think that’s a fundamental problem with our party. We need to have fundamental values so people know what they are getting with the Democratic Party.”
Scanlon said that “it’s all become so polarized, it’s become a zero-sum game. If a Republican proposes it, then a Democrat must oppose it ... We’ve got to start reaching across the aisle. We’ve got to start finding common ground.”
Li said there was a bias towards young people in the Democratic Party.
Pointing to the organization behind the March for Our Lives, she said, “It seems the kids know better than the adults. Frankly, people under 30 matter. Your voices matter. If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. I want to be the voice for you.”
With regards to campaign finance reform, Arata got raised eyebrows from Lazer when he said, “Democrats have fallen down and not made it clear that they’re different than Republicans. We have the Democrats taking Super PAC money with unlimited contributions from unknown sources. Elections should not be up to the highest bidder, elections shouldn’t be determined by who has the richest parents or whose family is the richest ... Everyone’s voice should be heard.”
Vitali addressed school funding in his response.
“I actually don’t support every school being funded equally,” he said. “I support all schools being funded at basic level. I support the right of local school districts, if they choose, to do extra.”
Lunkenheimer said the party needs to send a stronger, more inclusive message.
“I disagree with the way that Democrats have been talking about what we stand for,” she said. “I think we’ve been really ineffective in how we’ve done it ... We choose both. We choose all of our groups. Love is love, hate is hate, Black Lives Matter, we need to protect our Dreamers, we need to protect all of our groups that are experiencing hate ... I want to help our community so that everybody can live equal, full, healthy lives with their families.”
“In anticipation of the primary, we wanted to give an opportunity for the candidates to speak to the issues that young people care about.” — Jarrett Smith, Pennsylvania state director of NextGen America and the evening’s moderator