Embattled ex-state rep. finds new life in campaign
When emergency physician Bob Solomon takes his congressional campaign on the road, he brings along a few volunteers who wear yellow No. 14 jerseys with his last name on the back — like a retro Pittsburgh sports jersey, but with the district he’s running in.
Whose idea was that? His campaign manager, Jesse White’s. Yes, that Jesse White. To those familiar with politics in Western Pennsylvania, Mr. White’s name might conjure up memories of a slew of negative news headlines over the past decade. But the former Democratic state representative and lawyer from Washington County — who lost his seat in 2014 after revelations he used fictitious internet personalities to attack his political enemies, followed by his disbarment three years later for misappropriating client funds — said he has moved past all that.
“It’s a reasonable question, you know: Am I a pariah?” Mr. White asked, seated at a table Monday for a Solomon campaign event at the Burgettstown Senior Center. “Sometimes I don’t know. I don’t know the answer to that.”
“I’ve basically realized, look, I’ve done a lot of good for a lot of people over the years and they acknowledge that and those that don’t are entitled to their opinion,” he added.
The 39-year-old joined Dr. Solomon’s campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 14th District in midMarch, he said, and was promoted to campaign manager about three weeks later. It was less than a year after he was disbarred by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court after voluntarily resigning his law license for misappropriating $96,446 in client funds — allegations he said were “materially” true at the time and were why he sought treatment for a “pathological gambling addiction.”
Mr. White, elected amid a wave of Democrats in 2006 to the state Legislature, served four terms before losing reelection to Republican Jason Ortitay in 2014, soon after news reports revealed he used anonymous social media personas to impersonate political enemies, advocates of gas well drilling and even constituents. During that primary, he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the scandal was “not something I’m particularly proud of. It’s something I think about every single day.”
Before narrowly losing a primary in 2016 for his old state House seat, he was sued by his mother for impersonating her to obtain a credit card and racking up nearly $28,000 in debt, which he said was a “vindictive and childish” response to a dispute over baby-sitting visits with her grandson.
But Dr. Solomon said he hired Mr. White — who acknowledged he doesn’t “have the best past in the world, but I’d like to think I’m a good guy” — because of his success connecting with voters in the district, part of which overlaps with the one Mr. White represented for eight years.
“My primary interest was in knowledge, skills and experience,” Dr. Solomon said. “I can’t say that I’ve ever met anyone who hasn’t made mistakes over the course of an adult life. I’ve certainly made some of my own. We all do. Some of the mistakes we make are more consequential than others. But it seems clear to me that Jesse belongs to the group of people who learn from their mistakes.”
Mr. White’s hiring was also in anticipation of a potential general election matchup with Republican Rick Saccone. The two served together in the Legislature for six years, and Mr. White is familiar with Mr. Saccone’s voting record. He said he also brings strengths in digital media and campaign strategy, as well as the experience of having made mistakes in politics.
“You know, I was 28 when I was first elected, so to be able to turn around now and … I’m a father now. A lot more older, more mature,” Mr. White said. “To say, ‘hey, you know what, maybe we need to pump the brakes a little bit here. Maybe we need to not be so aggressive here or there.’ Because you learn much more from your losses than your victories.”
Dr. Solomon is running in a four-way primary against former Ford executive Bibiana Boerio, brain and spinal cord researcher Tom Prigg, and psychologist Adam Sedlock. In the GOP primary, Mr. Saccone is running against Guy Reschenthaler. Voters will head to the polls Tuesday.