Activists pressure Dems to pick progressive to run for Murphy’s seat in Congress
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
resignation Congressmanof candidateshas promptedTim seeking Murphy’sa stampede to replace District him — in and Pennsylvania’sa coalition of 18thprogressive Democratic activists doesn’t want to get trampled underfoot.
A group of nine activist groups, claiming roughly 12,000 members in the district and statewide, sent a letter Tuesday to state and local Democratic Party officials, urging them to pick a nominee that reflects progressive values.
Asserting the race is “with the right Democratic candidate, truly winnable,” the letter said that its activists “stand ready to mobilize on behalf of a strong nominee, one who is willing to take a stand on priority issues.”
Those issues, the activists say, should include a pledge to support “Medicare for All” health
coverage, and a candidate who “will robustly support efforts to combat climate change, and will stand up for unabridged reproductive rights, racial justice, humane immigration policy, strong unions, sensible gun legislation and full civil rights for the LGBTQ community.”
Mykie Reidy, an activist with Progress 18 PA, said the letter was sent because “we wanted the people doing the picking to know what this activated base of volunteers is looking for.”
Some activists, she said, were “concerned that party members believe the only way to get somebody elected here is to find somebody who is inoffensive to more moderateor conservative voters.”
Up until Mr. Murphy’s decision to resign, the preferences of party leaders were less pressing. Democratic Party voters were expecting to choose a nominee in next year’s primary themselves. But Mr. Murphy’s resignation, which is effective Oct. 21, means a special election process will take place in which officials in both major parties will choose nominees whowill square off next year.
The Democratic candidates who had been running before Mr. Murphy’s announcement — former Allegheny County Councilman Mike Crossey, former Department of Veterans Affairs official Pam Iovino, and emergency physician Bob Solomon — had met with activists as part of their campaign efforts. But since the announcement, they have been joined by Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli and former federalprosecutor Conor Lamb.
Ms. Cerilli identified herself as pro-life and “pro-sportsman” in a Post-Gazette interview last week; Mr. Lamb declined to speak about specific policy issues, including abortion, during his campaign kickoffSaturday.
Ms. Reidy said the letter wasn’t intended to target any particular candidate, but to urge party leaders and the candidates alike to weigh the perspective of activists. Ms. Reidy, herself, took part in weekly protests outside Mr. Murphy’s offices long before his seat was considered vulnerable.
“In my crowd, the viewpoint is that if you don’t get somebody with very strong positions, you aren’t going to get the activated base to volunteer,” she said.
“I think all of their points are valid,” said Nancy Patton Mills, chair of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee. “Many of their positions are in line with the position of the Democratic National Committee and the state party.” But she said choosing a candidate for a place like the18th District was tricky.
The 18th includes portions of Allegheny and three other counties: Greene, Washington and Westmoreland. It straddles affluent suburbs, rural areas and hard-pressed post-industrial towns, and while Democrats have a registration edge within its boundaries, Republicans drew those lines to maximize their own chances: Donald Trump and 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney won the district by roughly 20 percentage points.
“This gerrymandered district makes it difficult for any one candidate to appeal to the entire area,” Ms. Mills said. Right now, she said, “I think we don’t even know who the candidatesare going to be.”
Ms. Mills said candidates likely would have a Nov. 3 deadline to seek the nomination. Then committee members will select a nominee in mid-November.