Former President Bill Clinton will appear at an upcoming fundraiser for Marjorie Margolies, a Democratic candidate in the 13th Congressional District.
The event will take place on April 10 at noon at the Prime Rib, located inside the Warwick Hotel, at 17th and Locust streets. It’s being hosted by Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro and attorney Darren Check.
Marc Mezvinsky, the candidate’s son, is married to Chelsea Clinton, the former president’s daughter.
Margolies served in the U.S. House in 1993–94, casting the deciding vote for Clinton’s economic plan. The plan, which included tax increases, was opposed by all Republicans and 41 Democrats. Supporters believe the plan led to an economic expansion.
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Margolies is the only one of the six candidates in the 13th Congressional District who has yet to commit to appear at a forum at Congregations of Shaare Shamayim.
The forum is set for Sunday, March 30, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The synagogue is located at 9768 Verree Road.
Candidates who have confirmed for that day are Democrats Daylin Leach, Brendan Boyle and Val Arkoosh and Republicans Dee Adcock and Bev Plosa-Bowser.
The public is invited to attend and ask questions.
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Boyle, a state representative, submitted more than 4,000 nominating petitions by last week’s deadline. The minimum requirement is 1,000.
Boyle thanked his 100-plus volunteers.
“This campaign is based on a strong grassroots network across Northeast Philadelphia and Montgomery County, and the support we’ve gotten over the past several weeks reflects that fact,” he said after the March 11 deadline passed.
“In gathering signatures, I’ve spoken with many people in communities across the district who are eager for a voice in Washington that will advocate for fair pay, access to quality education and policies to strengthen our working and middle classes. With the support of residents from Mayfair to Lansdale and everywhere in between, I am confident that we are on track to be successful over the final 10 weeks leading up to our primary.”
Boyle also filed last week for re-election to his state House seat. He has no Democratic or Republican opponent in that race.
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The race for governor will consist of two Republicans and five Democrats.
Gov. Tom Corbett will face Bob Guzzardi, a lawyer from Ardmore, in the Republican primary.
The Democratic field is made up of U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz; state Treasurer Rob McCord; former Auditor General Jack Wagner; Katie McGinty, a former secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection; and Tom Wolf, a wealthy York County businessman and former secretary of the state Department of Revenue.
Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley will be unopposed on the Republican ballot.
Six Democrats filed for lieutenant governor: state Sen. Mike Stack, former congressman Mark Critz; state Rep. Brandon Neuman; Harrisburg City Councilman Brad Koplinski; Bradford County Commissioner Mark Smith; and former Penn State assistant football coach Jay Paterno.
In the 1st Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Bob Brady and Republican Megan Rath are both unopposed in their primary elections.
State Sen. Tina Tartaglione (D-2nd dist.) will face two opponents in the primary: former City Councilman Dan Savage and Tomas Sanchez, husband of Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez. John Jenkins, admissions director at West Catholic High School, is the Republican candidate.
State Reps. Tom Murt (R-152nd dist.), Brendan Boyle (D-170th dist.), John Sabatina Jr. (D-174th dist.), John Taylor (R-177th dist.) and Dwight Evans (D-203rd dist.) will be unopposed in the primary and general elections.
Rep. Kevin Boyle (D-172nd dist.) will face Jeffrey Voice in the primary.
In the 173rd Legislative District, Republican Mike Tomlinson is unopposed. The Democrats are Mike Driscoll, Dennis Kilderry, Paul DeFinis and Arlen Curtis LaRue.
Rep. James Clay (D-179th dist.) will face Jason Dawkins and David Hall in the primary.
Rep. Mark Cohen (D-202nd dist.) will face civic activist and lawyer Jared Solomon in the primary.
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The National Association of Social Workers-Pennsylvania Chapter endorsed Democrat Allyson Schwartz for governor.
Schwartz is a former acting director of the city Department of Human Services.
“We believe she is the best candidate, and are certain that her experiences as a social worker and social work educator will inform her policy decisions,” said executive director Ron Simon.
There are almost 6,000 members in the NASW’s Pennsylvania chapter.
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John Hanger, a former secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection, dropped out of the Democratic primary for governing, saying, “There is no longer a path to victory.”
“Tom Wolf’s television campaign has been startlingly effective, and he has taken a commanding lead, having reached support of 40 percent or more,” he said. “His strong rise in the polls impacted the campaigns of all his competitors and stopped momentum that we had in January, though we alone among the competing campaigns did not lose ground in some polls.”
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Gov. Tom Corbett and Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley filed for re-election to a second term with signatures from all 67 counties.
Corbett filed with 27,747 signatures, including more than 100 collected in 50 counties. Cawley filed with 26,680 signatures.
“Over the last three years, we have kept our promises and put Pennsylvania on the path to a brighter future by reforming Harrisburg, keeping taxes low and creating more than 150,000 private sector jobs,” Corbett said. “I am humbled by the tireless commitment of our grassroots supporters who showed their enthusiasm for our campaign and are working to give us four more years to continue fighting for our agenda of ‘More Jobs, Less Taxes.’ It has been an honor to serve the people of Pennsylvania, and I look forward to the bright future that lies just ahead for our commonwealth.”
Cawley added, “Pennsylvania is stronger today because of the tough decisions Gov. Tom Corbett made to put us back on a path toward prosperity, and I look forward to serving with him a second term. Pennsylvanians can’t afford to return to the tax-and-spend policies our opponents support, and I am confident that voters will soundly reject their attempts to bring the Obama-style, big government agenda to Harrisburg.”
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Jay Paterno, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, is hopeful of remaining on the ballot, though his nominating petitions are being challenged.
Brad Koplinski, who is also seeking the nomination, has hired a lawyer to challenge Paterno’s petitions. Paterno, son of the late Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, filed about 1,200 petitions. The requirement is 1,000 petitions, including at least 100 from five counties.
“I am confident in the petition signatures I submitted,” Paterno said. “I oversaw the petition gathering effort. A member of my family, a volunteer or myself gathered each one of these signatures. The people of this commonwealth are tired of politics as usual, and we look forward to discussing the real issues that matter to working families here in Pennsylvania. Voters in the commonwealth should be the ones to select the party’s nominee for lieutenant governor.”
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Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 endorsed Democratic state Rep. Ed Neilson in the May 20 special election for an at-large City Council seat.
The Republican candidate is expected to be Matt Wolfe, a ward leader and lawyer from West Philadelphia.
Independents and minor-party candidates might also join the race to replace Democrat Bill Green, recently named to be chairman of the School Reform Commission.
The FOP also reiterated its support for Democrat Mike Driscoll in the race for the 173rd Legislative District seat. Incumbent Democrat Mike McGeehan is not seeking another term. ••
