Crowded field of Dems duke it out in the 5th District
On Tuesday, voters will go to the polls to make their choices in a time-honored tradition that occurs twice every year. This year, however, is unprecedented because of the large number of Democrats seeking to serve Delaware County in the U.S. Congress.
At its height, 15 candidates crammed the Democratic field in the newly drawn 5th Congressional District. That has narrowed to 10: Teacher and environmental advocate Lawrence Arata of Haverford; state Rep. Margo Davidson, D-164 of Upper Darby; Chester Mayor Thaddeus Kirkland; former Philadelphia Deputy Mayor for Labor Rich Lazer; American Association for Cancer Research trustee Lindy Li of Lower Merion; former U.S. Assistant Attorney Ashley Lunkenheimer of Upper Providence; attorney and former WallingfordSwarthmore School Board member Mary Gay Scanlon; scientist Molly Sheehan of Philadelphia; state Rep. Greg Vitali, D-166 of Haverford; and entrepreneur Theresa Wright of Norristown.
Whoever wins this contest will face Republican Pearl Kim, a former senior deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania and a Radnor resident, in November.
The new district was drawn by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, following a suit filed by Democratic voters charging the 7th District, among others, were gerrymandered, or drawn by Republicans to politically favor one political party over another. The court sided with those voters and drew its own map after the Pennsylvania Legislature was unable to agree on boundaries.
As the voting deadline neared, candidates have been barraging voters with ads, literature, getting-out-the-vote efforts, campaign endorsements from high-profile individuals such as U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-Vt., comedian Wanda Sykes, and a litany of tweets to get their message out.
On Friday, Lazer announced he had received Sanders’ endorsement after talking with him earlier that day.
“I’ve been a real admirer of the senator for a long time,” Lazer said. “It means an awful lot ... This helps to continue to validate that we’re the true candidate for working people.”
Coming from a working class, blue-collar background, Lazer said he and Sanders spoke about their shared values.
About his support for Lazer, Sanders said, “Today I am endorsing Rich Lazer for U.S. Congress in Pennsylvania’s 5th Congressional District because of his strong history of standing up for working families. Rich believes, as I do, that health care is a right, that free public education should extend through college, and that solving the student debt crisis is an urgent necessity. Rich will be a consistent voice for a bold progressive agenda and will fight to create a government and an economy that works for all of us, not just wealthy corporate interests.”
In addition, Lazer said he planned a major push over the weekend to get his voters out to the polls.
“I think it’s going to be won on Election Day,” he said.
Lazer wasn’t the only candidate spending a lot of effort in the weekend. In fact, many of them did.
Lunkenheimer released a schedule beginning with a volunteer appreciation and canvass launch at her home Saturday morning, sprinkled with an block party on 15th Street in Philadelphia and going through a pre-election party headlined by Sykes, a Media resident, at Casey’s Saloon & Restaurant in Drexel Hill Monday night.
Throughout the race, Lunkenheimer has highlighted her work as a prosecutor, especially in fighting against large scale and violent drug dealers. She’s also spoken to the issues facing herself, her wife and their children.
Scanlon’s campaign has gained support steadily and she received the most votes for endorsement from the Delaware County Democratic Party. At the formal proceedings, no one candidate gained enough to have the official endorsement, although three candidates emerged from the pack and that was, in vote-getting order, Scanlon, Lunkenheimer and Sheehan.
Since that time, all of the candidates have been working to secure endorsements from organizations and municipalities to bolster their campaigns.
On Thursday, Scanlon received backing from the Radnor, Rutledge and East Lansdowne Democratic committees.
“These three municipalities add their endorsements to those of Lansdowne, Swarthmore, Nether Providence, Marple-Newtown and Eddystone making Mary Gay Scanlon the candidate with the most municipal committee endorsements,” Joel Coon, her campaign manager, said. “From Radnor to Eddystone, these committees and their members will all be working the polls for Mary Gay Scanlon on Election Day. They will be passing out sample ballots and represent a tremendous organizational advantage for the Scanlon campaign. With five days left, it is clear that Delco is coalescing behind Mary Gay as the best choice for Democrats.”
Not all would agree, as evidenced when Sheehan asked her supporters to abstain from voting in the final round at the county Democratic meeting.
Sheehan, who has been campaigning for well over a year, has organized a concerted campaign including knocking on doors, phone banks and yard signs.
Two weeks ago, she signed an agreement with the Campaign Workers Guild to pay her workers $15 an hour, a $2,540-minimum monthly salary, health care reimbursement, paid time off, a sexual harassment policy and training and union representation through CWG.
“I am proud to have the first grassroots small dollar campaign to unionize nationally,” she said. “I fully support my staff’s desire to unionize and am glad we were able to come to an agreement that will bolster my campaign and their livelihoods.
“I wholeheartedly believe that every worker deserves a living wage, health care benefits, paid time off, and the right to unionize,” Sheehan said. “I not only espouse these beliefs but support my staff in
5TH » PAGE 20