Current Chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Committee, Jim Burn was set to square off with Former PA Dept of Environmental Protection Secretary and most recently, former Gubernatorial Candidate, Katie McGinty this afternoon to retain his seat. Luckily for Burn, the winner of the Dem Primary Race for Governor, Tom Wolf (who enthusiastically endorsed McGinty for PA Dem Party Chair last week) decided to form his own PAC, The Campaign for a Fresh Start, with McGinty at the helm.
While the Tribune-Review's headline about the independent PAC is optimistic, (Democrats find solution to squabble over control of state committee) I personally am not so convinced of its truth. Pro-McGinty Dems cite Burn's "lackluster" fundraising skills as a key reason to support her. The formation of a second independent PAC will force some PA Dems who are loyal to the existing PAC to choose whether to show support for the new Wolf/McGinty PAC or stick with the status quo. It could be argued that Dems can support both, which is true to an extent, yet it seems counterproductive to shuffle back and forth between separate PACs who ultimately share the same goal of getting Corbett kicked out of, and Wolf into the highest elected office of the Commonwealth.
On the plus side, McGinty's decision to choose not to compete with Burn, is another shining example of her positivity and team-player attitude, reinforcing the notion that this is not a greedy power grab on her part but a chance for her to exercise her proven leadership skills. The same cannot be said about Burn, who according to the Pittsburgh-Gazette, faced a similar challenge for Chair in 2010, when Dan Onorato, the Dem Gov. Candidate was rumored to have favored York Mayor, Kim Bracey for the spot, and instead of adhering to the traditional practice of deferring to the the Gov. nominee's choice for party chair, he decided to fight the decision.
And by skimming over a couple opinion pieces on the topic, some PA Dems want new leadership:
Wolf is right - Democrats need a new state chairperson
Nobody Knows Who Jim Burn Is. Pick Katie McGinty for PA Democratic Chair
Ultimately, avoiding a public fight for the Democratic Party Chair position is a good thing, but it remains to be seen if the PAC split was a wise strategic move for Wolf and McGinty and if Burn's obstinance will be beneficial or detrimental to the PA Dem Committee.