Tuesday was the Pennsylvania primary. This post isn’t about the top of the ticket races, although I’ll mention them. Biden did much better than Trump, no matter how you look at it, but especially because 16.6% of Republican voters— it’s a closed primary so none of these were cross-over Democrats— cast anti-Trump ballots by voting for Nikki Haley. On top of that, far more Democrats voted than Republicans— 52,000 more. Those two factors resulted in this:
Biden- 941,516 (87.91%)
Trump- 790,477 (83.4%)
Neither Senate candidate, incumbent Bob Casey (D) nor wealthy Connecticut shyster Dave McCormick (R) had any primary opposition. McCormick spent $2,000,000 of his own so far. Last cycle, when he lost to Dr. Oz, he spent $14.4 million on the primary! Trump, who endorsed Oz last time, told MAGAts not to vote for McCormick then and he lost by 0.1%— just 951 votes out of 1,345,577 cast.
There was one big congressional primary for each party. In Bucks County (PA-01), mainstream conservative Brian Fitzpatrick beat MAGA neo-fascist Mark Houck handily— 44,764 (61.5%) to 28,081 (38.5%). He’ll face Democrat Ashley Ehasz, who didn’t have a primary candidate.
On the other end of the state, in Pittsburgh, super-progressive Squad member Summer Lee, was targeted by AIPAC members and by the wealthiest oligarch in the state, MAGA financier Jeff Yass, who spent almost $1,000,000 to defeat her by backing a right-of-center Democrat, Bhavini Patel. Lee, a Democratic Party rising star, crushed her without much trouble despite all of Yass' cash.
What I found most interesting in Pennsylvania though, were teh state legislative races. Very few incumbents lose their seats. Although there are still a couple of races uncalled, the only incumbent Democrat to lose his seat was Kevin Boyle in Northeast Philly (HD-172) who was swamped by 30 year old public defender Sean Dougherty, 3,402 (73%) to 1,288 (27%). The reason is because Boyle lost his mind and faced expulsion had he won again. The House Dems, who have restricted Boyle’s security access to the state Capitol and kicked him off his committee, got behind Dougherty in a big way. A case can be made that this district could elect a Republican with a Democrat as bad as Boyle— and keep in mind the Dems have a one-vote majority in the House(102 to 101)!
In the 80th district (Blair County) GOP primary, former Hate Talk Radio host Scott Barger, a radical extremist, beat conservative incumbent Jim Gregory (a deal-maker) by 10 points, 5,648 (55%) to 4,649 (45%).
The Republican primary in the 117th district (Wyoming County and parts of Lackawanna and Luzerne counties) is the closest race in the state. Challenger Jamie Walsh (a nut case radical) is leading freshman incumbent Mike Cabell 4,723 (50%) to 4,715 (50.0%), just 8 votes! The Democrats don’t have a candidate on the November ballot.
There were also a few interesting races that involved progressives taking on conservatives. One is still close to call. In West Philly (HD-10) incumbent Amen Brown, a conservative Democrat and an asshole, is also a sock puppet for right-wing oligarch Jeff Yass, who gave his campaign at least $62,500 this cycle, nearly half of his contributions. Yass donates mostly to MAGA Republicans but also gives to right-wing Democrats who will vote with Republicans, like Amen Brown. Brown, a charter school supporter, is leading progressive Cass Green 2,818 (40.3%) to 2,710 (39.6%). The third candidate in the race, Saudi Blackwell was the police union choice from 2022, and had the Philadelphia Inquirer endorsement.Â
HD-32 in the suburbs east of Pittsburgh, incumbent Tony DeLuca died just before the 2022 election. The local party officers picked Joe McAndrew, a young political staffer, as the Democratic candidate for the special election. Penn Hills Mayor Pauline Calabrese, an anti-Choice creep who says she’s come around now, ran against him again. McAndrew crushed her 6,779 (71%) to 2,822 (29%).
HD-34 is partially in Pittsburgh and partially in the eastern suburbs. It’s Summer Lee’s old district and when she resigned to go off the Congress, he Allegheny County Democratic picked conservative Democrat Abigail Salisbury, who have primaried Lee from the right in 2022. This time Lee, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, County Executive Sara Innamorato, the Working Families Party plus the unions and nonprofits that align with progressives backed Ashley Comans, a Wilkinsburg school board member, while the local and state establishments got behind Salisbury. This was one of the most expensive state House primaries in the state. Salisbury won 7,978 (63%) to Comans- 4,636 (37%).
South of there (HD-38, a suburban district) saw a wild 3-way race between relatives of well-known local politicians. West Mifflin Borough Councilmember John Inglis was backed by organized labor and the district’s outgoing incumbent, Nick Pisciottano (his cousin). The race is too close to call but Inglis is ahead, 3,180 (34.6%) to Victoria Schmotzer’s 3,132 (34.1%) and AJ Olasz’s 2,876 (31.3%). Olasz, an anti-Choice, anti-Green energy conservative Democrat ran on one thing— that he’s the grandson of former state Rep. Richard Olasz. Schmotzer’s one issue was term limits. Inglis isn’t great but a lot better than the other two.
Even wilder was the 5-way primary in HD-103 in Harrisburg and suburbs, where longtime incumbent Patty Kim is running for the state Senate. The only one of the 5 embracing progressivism was Laura Harding, who came in last. House Democratic Caucus staffer Nate Davidson won with 2,106 (29.7%), beating out Camp Hill Councilmember Mercedes Evans, who came in second with 1,627 votes (23.0%), Patty Kim-endorsed Tina Nixon who took 1,584votes (22.4%) and Lemoyne Councilmember Jesse Monoski with 1,283 votes (18.1%). Harding wound up with just under 7%.
The Chester, Marcus Hook, Upper Chichester district (HD-159) saw Darren Laws get his ass kicked by progressive freshman incumbent Carol Kazeem, 3,202 (77%) to Laws’ 949 votes (23%).Â
HD-181 is in north central Philly and Malcolm Kenyatta was reelected with a whopping 74% against 2 opponents, but he also won the statewide Democratic nomination for auditor general. The guy in second place was deranged anti-LGBTQ sociopath and pastor Lewis Nash, who drew 804 votes (18%).
The final race, HD-188 in west Philly pitted Democratic socialist Rick Krajewski, who had unseated an incumbent in 2020, against Tony Dphax King. Yass tried unseating Krajewski in 2022 with a candidate he financed but who lost with just 28.8%. On Tuesday, Krajewski beat King 5,944 (83%) to 1,230 (17%).