Clash of vision marks state Senate contest for Republican Party

38th District reflects nationwide divisions

HARRISBURG — The Republicans are fighting again.

With less than a week until the primary, the GOP is turning its attention to the 38th Senatorial District, which covers part of Pittsburgh and some of its northern suburbs.

There, state Sen. Randy Vulakovich faces a challenge from Ross Commissioner Jeremy Shaffer, who is favored by a group that seeks to snuff out so-called RINOs — Republicans in Name Only — and replace them with politicians who will be loyal to their version of conservative principles no matter the cost.

The race embodies a question Republican politicians are asking themselves across the country: To counter a wave of Democratic enthusiasm, do you pitch a candidate who can compromise or one who promises to energize GOP partisans?

If this race is any indication, the broader fight will be dirty and expensive.

Mr. Vulakovich, a former state representative and Shaler police officer, was elected to the Senate in 2012, when he won the special election to replace Sen. Jane Orie, who resigned that year while awaiting sentencing in a corruption case. He sailed through to a full term, winning his office in 2014 without facing a challenger.

He has sponsored legislation dealing with law enforcement issues and tends to vote conservatively on social issues, such as abortion. He has also voted at times for tax increases, often amid budget impasses that ultimately left politicians in both parties feeling dissatisfied with the outcome. Those budget votes are among the reasons Mr. Shaffer decided to run.

Mr. Vulakovich said, “My votes are votes I put up to get something done.”

The senator has been loyal to the party, helping to support other GOP candidates’ campaigns. The party returned the favor. The Senate Republican Campaign Committee, which works to help maintain a Republican majority in the Senate, has given $260,000 to Mr. Vulakovich’s campaign since February.

The Citizens Alliance of Pennsylvania, a conservative group pushing Mr. Shaffer, believes the SRCC exerts too much influence over Republican senators and acknowledges that it has taken an “outsized interest” in this race in hopes of sending a message to other incumbents.

“Senate leadership … can convince members to take bad votes only as long as members believe that the Senate and SRCC can protect them,” said Leo