Boyer challenging Dinniman in primary
The 2020 ballot could bring Chester County’s longtime Democratic state senator something he has never had before — a primary challenger.
Tredyffrin resident and West Chester NAACP President Kyle J. Boyer this week formally announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination to run for the 19th State Senate District seat now held by Andy Dinniman; a bold move in challenging an incumbent — but not one that is unusual this year, as at least two of the county’s sitting Democratic legislators are seeing primary opponents.
Boyer is an educator, minister, and lifelong resident of the county whose work has intersected public education, the faith community, and public policy. He is a career teacher, and has taught various subjects at the middle and high school levels, according to his campaign announcement.
Boyer had previously been listed as a candidate for the Chester County Democratic Committee’s endorsement, but made his campaign official with the announcement on Monday.
“As a Chester County native, I’m passionate about helping our county and all of Pennsylvania advance toward a more progressive future,” Boyer said in his statement. “A future with an even stronger system of public education, expanded economic opportunity for those at the margins, and a more just society for each and every person.”
Boyer is not a neophyte to elective politics. He is currently a member of the Tredyffrin/Easttown School Board, having been elected in 2017. Boyer previously chaired the board’s Ad Hoc Legislative Committee, and currently chairs the Policy Committee and serves as liaison to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association. He has served on the Education Committee, and has represented the district on the Chester County Intermediate Unit Legislative Council.
In a follow-up to his campaign announcement, Boyer addressed the fact that he is seeking to unseat a sitting legislator whose popularity continues across the county.
“As an elected official I respect Senator Dinniman’s past work, but quite frankly I’m in this race for the future of Chester County and Pennsylvania, not the past,” he wrote. “The voters I’ve encountered appreciate having a younger alternative who is an unabashed supporter of public education and committed
Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board member Kyle J. Boyer
to helping our communities advance forward in a progressive direction.”
“We’re out there talking, canvassing, and working as hard as we can to get the endorsement, but we’re most interested in the endorsement of 19th District primary voters on April 28. Ultimately, voters will decide who is best to help move Chester County forward.”
In an emailed statement, Dinniman touted his strength in the party and expressed his assurance that he would be nominated again by committee members he has worked with before.
“We are again running a very strong campaign based on my ongoing work and my record of service on the environment, pipeline safety, public schools, open space, women’s health and freedom of choice, and economic development,” he said. “We have an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from a broad coalition of Democratic committee people, volunteers, and voters.”
He noted that in the past he had faced primary challenges — former state Rep. Thomas Houghton began a challenge but withdrew before the primary election — but contended that such opposition “tends to happen more when one party gains power. But at the end of the day, facing primary challenges is part of running for election,” he said. “It’s part of the process.”
Boyer is no stranger to public discourse, or taking aim at entrenched Democratic office holders. As president of the West Chester NAACP he was directly involved in the effort to persuade West Chester Councilman Bill Scott to step down from his position on Borough Council.
In August, reports circulated that Scott made racially offensive comments to a member of the cast of the play, “Mud Row,” about the experience of growing up in the borough’s minority community. In a public meeting, Boyer urged the longtime councilman to resign and keep his reputation intact. “It would be a great thing to honor your legacy by stepping down,” Boyer said at a council meeting.
Dinniman, 75, of West Whiteland is in his third full term in the state Senate, after first having been elected in a special election to replace the late state Sen. Robert Thompson. He announced his intention to seek a fourth term in January, citing his record of success in crafting bipartisan legislation concerning state and local issues.
In 2016, Dinniman, a former county commissioner and chairman of the county Democratic Party, defeated Republican challenger Jack London with 56.4 percent of the vote. “Together, we’ve made Chester County a great place to live, work, and raise a family. But there is still much more work to do. I’ve never been one to shy away from hard work. I’ve always fought the good fight and I’m not about to stop now,” Dinniman said.
Dinniman is not the only incumbent who will face a challenge at the upcoming Democratic endorsement convention on Feb. 13. Both state Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-155th, of Uwchlan, and state Rep. Kristine Howard, D-167th, of Malvern, have opponents — Friel-Otten from Uwchlan resident Rose Danese and Howard from West Whiteland resident Ginny Kerslake.
Boyer received a bachelors degree from George Washington University, Master of Education and masters degree in Public Administration degree from the University of Pennsylvania. He also has a master’s degree in Divinity from United Lutheran Seminary. He completed the K-12 administrative licensure program at Immaculata University.
He is as associate at the Mt. Carmel Church of God in Christ in West Chester and has been an active member of the Chester County faith community and has served in numerous denominational and ecumenical roles during his time in ministry.
He is a teacher at the Valley Forge Middle School in Tredyffrin.
In an emailed statement, Dinniman touted his strength in the party and expressed his assurance that he would be nominated again by committee members he has worked with before.