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WEEKEND LEFTOVERS: Murphy likes Lentz, Sestak gets Frank & OFA trains

When pa2010.com Central was in northeast Philly for Congressman Patrick Murphy’s (D-8) endorsement of Dan Onorato Saturday, we couldn’t help but overhear Murphy talking to a labor leader about the 7th District House race and the party’s front-runner there, state Representative Bryan Lentz (D-Delaware).

“That’s our guy,” Murphy said confidently.

Murphy’s remarks aren’t that surprising. His political action committee has already contributed to Lentz. But as Lentz still faces a couple of primary challengers, it’s important to remember who Murphy is. He’s on the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s recruitment group, and heads its Red to Blue initiative. While the DCCC technically tries to stay neutral in primaries, it seems increasingly clear that Lentz is their man, and they’ll be ready to help him if and when he needs it.

Meanwhile, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-8) is going to be rolling out his own endorsement Monday, when he gets the support of Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass.). Frank will back Sestak during a morning event in downtown Philly. As the first openly gay member of Congress, Frank could help Sestak show voters that he was a friend of gay rights groups before Arlen Specter’s recent revelations on the subject.

“No one calls it like they see it quite like Barney Frank,” Sestak told Salon.

And President Obama’s organizing arm of the Democratic National Committee, Organizing for America, hosted an afternoon of volunteer training in Bucks County Saturday. While the group is currently more focused on pushing Obama’s agenda, we’ll be keeping a close eye on whether and how they become a force in electoral politics next year.

“OFA volunteers are the backbone of our organization,” OFA’s state director Elizabeth Lucas said in a statement. “They’re not just witnesses to history—they’re helping to shape it. Our volunteers, community organizers and neighborhood team leaders are on-the-ground—they’re the people knocking on doors, making calls and attending town halls—helping to make the promise of change we fought so hard for during the election a reality. … As the Senate continues to debate [health care] reform, we’ll work this weekend to empower volunteer leaders with the skills they need to change their communities, build support for President Obama’s agenda, and work to elect Democrats in 2010.”

UPDATE: More leftovers.

December 7, 2009 at 6:00 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

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