RAISING KANE
UNION BOSS, EX-CANDIDATE CHALLENGES LANDAU FOR CHAIRMAN OF DELCO DEMS
Delaware County Democratic Chairman David Landau has a challenger when the party elects a leader for a four-year term: Union agent John Kane.
Landau, an attorney and partner at Duane Morris, contends the party has blossomed into a majority status in the county with significant victories under his watch. Kane, business manager of Plumbers Local 690 and former a state Senate candidate, said the party needs to reach all people and that those in the poorer parts of Delaware County haven’t gotten enough attention.
“I believe that the party hasn’t grown to where it should be,” Kane said. “The party needs some improvement. You can go into any of the low-income areas, I don’t think they’re being served very well.”
Landau, on the other hand, said his leadership since 2010 has been during a transformative time for Democrats here.
“I’ve led the party from the minority-party status to majority-party registration,” the Nether Providence resident said. “We stand on the verge of taking control of the county ... The long, long list of electoral victories under my leadership shows we have an organization, we have a vision, we have a game plan, we’re on the move.”
Both men grew up in Haverford and both ran for office – Landau ran against then-U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon in 1988 and Kane ran against state Sen. Tom McGarrigle of Springfield in 2014. Both lost those races.
Kane, a resident of Ridley Township, graduated form Cardinal O’Hara High School and then joined the Plumbers’ Union Local 690, like his grandfather before him. By January 2007, he was appointed business manager of the local, a position he’s held since. He is married with children.
A graduate of Haverford High School, Landau was deputy campaign manager and issues director for former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart’s presidential campaign in 1984. Four years later, Landau launched his own bid against Weldon and then continued to work on various campaigns including Gov. Ed Rendell, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa. and former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. He also advised Joe Sestak on his first run for U.S. Congress in 2006. Landau became chair of the county Democrats in 2010.
Kane said he wants to have broader outreach.
“We stay up in Media,” Kane said as he pointed to Darby Borough, Yeadon, Aldan and parts of Upper Darby that could use more attention. “We have a lot of people in other areas of the county. Realistically, I’m going to bring the party to them. We need to unify all of Delaware County,” he said.
He said he brings a natural quality of leadership.
“I have the ability of bringing people together – it’s an act I’m blessed to have,” Kane said. “I believe that’s something that we lack with the party. The party has lacked with uniting everyone and that’s what I intend to do.”
He also saw other areas that could use improvement.
“We’re counting on our message to carry us through,” he continued. “I believe that I could bring a lot more to the Democratic Party than what we currently have.”
He pointed to the $2.6 million he raised during his state Senate race, as well as his own connections that boosted funding.
Kane said for at least the past 12 years, labor has been a non-factor in the county party – and he could change that.
“I have some concerns about that,” he said. “My connections throughout labor will benefit us.”
Kane said he’d prefer to have a smooth transition, rather than a race, but is willing to go through the contest.
“I really want to bring the party to the communities,” he said. “I don’t want the communities to come to the party. I also want to recruit the next generation of Democrats. I want to make it a little better than where it’s at.”
He did credit the incumbent chairman for doing a great job before adding it’s time to take a different tactic.
“It’s time,” Kane said. “We’ve been playing softball. It’s time to play hardball.”
Landau said his work has made a difference for the party.
“In these past eight years, our party has gone from the minority to the majority party, we’ve gone from running hopeless campaigns to winning towns, school boards and countywide races,” he said. “We’ve recruited incredible candidates to run for office at all levels and have built an energetic, diverse, progressive party that has welcomed the resistance and put women at the forefront.”
He listed among his accomplishments the 2015 win of state Rep. Leanne Krueger-Braneky, D-161 of Swarthmore, and the countywide office sweep in 2017.
“We have stood up for women against members of our own party who have been accused of sexual misconduct and were the first party in the commonwealth to adopt an anti-harassment policy,” he said. “Finally, I am proud to have worked hard to make sure that the member of Congress who represents Delaware County is from Delaware County.”
That said, Landau said he understands the competitive nature of the position he holds.
“I realize that this is an office I must earn every four years,” he said. “I look forward to running a positive campaign on my record and I am asking for the vote of every Democratic committee member in Delaware County,”