Democrats court Pa. power players
WASHINGTON — Bill George can't believe his luck. Suddenly, the head of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO labor union federation finds himself courted by both Democratic presidential candidates' campaigns.
Ultimately, he says, the winner is working class Americans, and he's in no hurry to endorse either Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton or Sen. Barack Obama, as long as they are both talking about health care, trade policy and other issues of his members' concern.
"I'm holding them to the fire trying to get them to have more discussions about the resolve of those issues," said George, a Democratic Party superdelegate whose organization has 900,000 members in the state.
Pennsylvania's political power players, who watched in many past presidential elections as early voting states like Iowa and New Hampshire typically got much of the attention from candidates and the media, are suddenly in the spotlight — at least on the Democratic side.
The state is the next big battleground because on April 22 it will apportion 158 delegates, the biggest remaining prize, among candidates based on their relative support.
As the two candidates crisscross the state for the next six weeks, there are a number of players to watch who could make a difference behind the scenes and in front of the camera leading up to election. They include:
4 Gov. Ed Rendell, the outspoken former Philadelphia mayor who later served as DNC chairman, is aggressively campaigning for Clinton. He could help Clinton snag votes in the state's populated southeast and with fundraising.
• Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, elected on a promise to reform city hall, has endorsed Clinton as a pledged delegate to the national nominating convention this summer. Nutter, who is black, could help Clinton among black voters in the city of about 1.5 million people.
• U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, also from Philadelphia, is the only black member of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation. He's backing Obama and could help solidify support among black voters.
• One key Philadelphia endorsement up for grabs is that of Rep. Robert Brady, chairman of Philadelphia's Democratic committee. Ward leaders on the committee said they wanted to hear directly from each candidate before making a decision. Brady said he'll back the candidate the committee endorses.
• In Western Pennsylvania, a key endorsement would be that of Rep. John Murtha. Murtha, a leading critic of the Iraq war and a close ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is a prolific fundraiser and his endorsement could help attract anti-war voters. Murtha has said he has not decided whether he will endorse before the primary.
• In the Pittsburgh area, the endorsement of Dan Onorato, the chief executive of Allegheny County, population 1.2 million, could have impact among the region's urban and suburban voters. Onorato, a moderate Democrat mentioned as a future gubernatorial candidate, has not endorsed a candidate.
• The two candidates have also sought the endorsement of Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, who at 28 is the youngest chief executive of a major U.S. city. He has not endorsed a candidate.
• Sen. Bob Casey has said he won't endorse a candidate before the primary because he's worried about party unity. But the son of the late former governor could have pull behind the scenes. Both Clinton and Obama campaigned for him in his successful 2006 race against Republican Sen. Rick Santorum.
