Although the FEC filing deadline has closed as of March 31st in most states, that is not the case in Pennsylvania. The Keystone State's primary is April 27th, so the candidates there have until April 7th to fundraise for the 1st quarter. With that in mind, it is my honor to present the following Democratic candidates for Congress from Pennsylvania: Congressman Joe Hoeffel for US Senate, Lois Murphy in PA-6 (facing Republican Jim Gerlach) and Joe Driscoll in PA-15. So, without further ado, let's take a look at some of the races that matter-in Pennsylvania!
Joe Hoeffel-Pennsylvania offers a golden opportunity for Democrats in 2004, starting with the US Senate race.
With Senator Arlen Specter facing the toughest primary opponent of his Senate career in Congressman Pat Toomey, the GOP is embroiled in a bloody, bloody primary battle. Happily for us Democrats, the DSCC and the state party has rallied behind Congressman Joe Hoeffel, of PA-13. First, a word on Pennsylvania: In order to win a statewide race, the Democrats used to need a landslide in Philadelphia as well as sweep the Allegheny area.
Now, with the movement of the suburbs of Philadelphia towards the Democratic Party, we can now win statewide with a combination of Philly, its suburbs and a respectable win in the southwest mining country.
Here's where the GOP primary plays a major factor in this race. If Specter wins, he will be a weakened candidate, but will still have an advantage in the Philly suburbs. This means that Hoeffel, a suburban guy himself, will need to win in the Allegheny region. With Specter's poor reelection numbers (in a recent independent poll, Specter's reelect number was just 36%. 44% wanted a new Senator) and with voter anger in the southwest towards President Bush, Hoeffel would have a good shot at an upset. However, should Toomey beat Specter in the primary, Hoeffel would have a free shot at the suburban areas. Toomey, from the Leheigh Valley in East-Central Pennsylvania (to the west of the suburbs), would be in a tough spot against Hoeffel, since the suburbs are vital for any GOP statewide candidate. Toomey's pro-life, pro-gun views are not likely to play well there.
As for Hoeffel, he comes into the general election with several strengths. As a moderate-to-liberal Democrat, he fits the profile of a candidate who could win statewide as a Democrat (Ed Rendell was the same thing in 2002 when he was elected Governor). He has served in elected office since 1977, serving as a State Rep, County Commissioner and in Congress. In addition, he will likely gain from the tight Presidential race in the state, which will galvanize Democrats to turn out in November (and Democrats hold a registration edge in the state). Congressman Hoeffel also has a blog, which can be found at his website, http://www.hoeffelforsenate.com.
Lois Murphy- Pennsylvania's 6th district was created in 2001 by the GOP gerrymander as a seat for then-State Senator Jim Gerlach. However, Democrat Danny Wofford held Gerlach to just 51% in 2002, despite a late start and after the Democrats let the race slip away. Now, Gerlach faces a fresh, strong opponent in this seat-Lois Murphy. This seat contains Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties, and has a 50,000 GOP edge in voters. However, Al Gore did carry the district, as did Bill Clinton. This means that while the GOP has the generic edge, a Democrat with skill and ability can win here. Lois Murphy is that candidate.
Lois Murphy has considerable experience in and out of the public sector. After graduating from Harvard law school, Lois clerked for a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She then joined the U.S. Justice Department before serving as associate legal counsel for NARAL Pro-Choice America, where she defended reproductive rights and worked to reduce the need for abortion through more effective and accessible family planning. Lois is now a member of the growing law firm of Heckscher, Teillon, Terrill & Sager, P.C., where she represents families, individuals, small businesses and charities. She has served as a President and board member of NARAL Pro-Choice Pennsylvania for over 10 years. Lois is a board member of the Women's Law Project and was recently appointed by Governor Rendell to the Pennsylvania Commission for Women.
In addition, Murphy was the campaign coordinator for Ed Rendell in Montgomery County in 2002, during his successful Gubernatorial run. She helped to lead the effort that gave Rendell a 90,000 margin in the county, second only to Philadelphia. When I interviewed Mrs. Murphy for this article, she told me that what matters most to her are her children's futures. With that in mind, she is a strong proponent of investing in education. She also would work to lower the costs of Health Insurance and to bring jobs back to the region. I believe that Lois Murphy is a strong candidate and a wonderful lady who will make a great Congresswoman for Pennsylvania. Her website is http://www.loismurphy.org and she has a special section for bloggers at http://www.loismurphy.org/bloggers.php.
Joe Driscoll- Pennsylvania's 15th district is, on paper, on of the most competitive ones in the nation. Al Gore won the district by a tiny margin in 2000, which includes Bethlehem, Allentown and the Leheigh Valley. However, Republican Pat Toomey has held the seat since 1998, and he has won reelection twice against the same opponent, Ed O'Brian. However, with Toomey running for the US Senate, his seat is open. After a long, frustrating search, Democrats selected Joe Driscoll to run for the House seat.
Joe Driscoll is a successful businessman and consultant in the furniture business. He is also a friend of John Kerry and the Kennedys. Being a social liberal and fiscal conservative, he can appeal to the voters of this suburban district. His focus in this campaign is on economic development. However, Driscoll does have a potential problem. He recently moved into the 15th district from near Philadelphia, and so may garner a reputation as an outsider. His primary opponent, frequent candidate Rick Orloski, is attacking Driscoll on this issue. Driscoll will likely face State Senator Charlie Dent (a moderate Republican) in what should prove to be a competitive race.