After a disastrous February, Congressman Joe Sestak will be desperately trying to reset his faltering campaign today with a kickoff event in Philadelphia. Given the negative reception his candidacy has received from Party leaders, we’ve compiled a list of Pennsylvania Democrats who may be skipping Congressman Sestak’s latest campaign event.
Governor Ed Rendell — Democrats Need “To Find Really Good Candidates”
“Candidates matter,” said former Pennsylvania governor Edward G. Rendell (D). “…So we can’t just nominate anybody. We’ve got to find really good candidates.” (Sean Sullivan, “Democrats seek star recruits to try to win back control of the Senate,” The Washington Post, 2/16/2015)
Congressman Bob Brady — Sestak’s “Not Scaring Anyone”
“[Sestak’s] not scaring anyone,” said Bob Brady, a congressman from Philadelphia and behind-the-scenes power player in Pennsylvania Democratic politics. “He’s not clearing the field because he’s running.” (Alex Roarty, “Meet The Democratic Senate Candidate Who Drives Democrats Crazy,” National Journal, 2/19/2015)
Former PA Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney — If Sestak Is The Nominee, Democrats “Will Once Again Lose To Pat Toomey”
“‘In my estimation, if Joe Sestak is the nominee in 2016 for U.S. Senate, we will once again lose to Pat Toomey,’ said T.J. Rooney, who was state Democratic Party chairman when Sestak ran in 2010.” (Alex Roarty, “Meet The Democratic Senate Candidate Who Drives Democrats Crazy,” National Journal, 2/19/2015)
“It’s worrisome to a lot of people,” said T.J. Rooney, a Pennsylvania-based Democratic consultant and former chair of the state party. “There certainly are many, many qualified potential candidates out there but for a myriad of reasons, they seem to be sitting this one out.” (Kyle Cheney and Tarini Parti, “Dems’ farm teams languish even with Senate in play,” Politico, 2/17/2015)
###