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For GOP, nomination process in the 12th could quell conservative revolt

When a small group of Republican Party insiders met to pick a candidate for a special election in New York’s 23rd Congressional District last year, their choice of a pro-choice, pro-gay marriage state lawmaker ignited a conservative uproar that eventually led to the candidate’s withdrawal from the race and a victory for Democrats.

A few months later, GOP insiders in Pennsylvania have to select a candidate for a special election to finish out the late Congressman John Murtha’s (D-12) term. And they’re hoping that a significantly more inclusive process dictated by party rules will help head off any similar revolt from the party’s conservative base—regardless of who gets the nod when the process plays out next month. Rather than a small cadre of party leaders selecting a candidate like in New York, 134 Republican conferees—similar to party convention delegates—will have a say. When candidates address the delegates, it will be open to the public.

It’s a process seemingly fitting for the anti-establishment political climate, one the party is confident will help avert any large amount of post-nomination sniping.

“We’ve done this a number of times, and it has been shown to be a fair process,” state party spokesman Michael Barley said in an interview. “Any candidates whatsoever can take part, the press will be there and the conferees are all being chosen from within the district. It doesn’t get more fair than that.”

Not that whoever loses won’t try to make an issue of it. Two Republicans were running before Murtha’s death, and while others are expected to emerge, they’re the only two officially in the race—wealthy businessman Tim Burns and military veteran Bill Russell, who ran against Murtha in 2008. While Russell was a grassroots darling because of his crusade against Murtha, Burns is favored by some high-level party leaders because of his ability to self-fund a race. And Russell, clearly believing he’s an underdog to win the party’s nomination, is already trying to paint the process as suspect.

“If you have county officials … trying to stack the deck by choosing certain minded conferees over others, that could present a serious problem for the selection process,” Russell said. “I don‘t expect that Burns’ ability to self-finance his campaign is going to determine the outcome of the special election, but I think it potentially could.”

One high-level Republican insider balked at that assessment.

“There are a lot of candidates crying ‘New York 23′ these days, but they can’t substantiate it,” he said. “First and foremost there is practically no ideological difference between the Republican candidates in the 12th. Neither is more or less conservative than the other, and there is no liberal in the race, which shoots a giant hole in that argument.”

Burns, for his part, is confident that even if he doesn’t win the nomination, he will win the primary to be held the same day—a race in which a spot on the November ballot for a new two-year term is at stake.

“I will win this primary, even if we don‘t get picked for the special election,” Burns told pa2010.com.

The 134 conferees who will decide the nomination on March 11 in Latrobe are selected by local county leaders, and the number of conferees allotted to each county is determined by the number of voters that supported John McCain in the 2008 presidential election—a stipulation that would seem likely to yield a more conservative group than would happen if conferees were allotted by simple population or even by Republican voter turnout. Westmoreland, Cambria and Washington counties will have the most conferees, with 38, 26 and 20, respectively. Conferees must be registered Republicans in the 12th District, and their names will be submitted a week before the meeting, to be held at Saint Vincent College.

A majority is required for an endorsement, and the vote will be taken to a second-ballot if necessary, with the lowest vote-getter eliminated.

See a list of how many conferees each county will be allotted below.

Allegheny County: 1
Armstrong County: 10
Cambria County: 26
Fayette County: 19
Greene County: 8
Indiana County: 4
Somerset County: 8
Washington County: 20
Westmoreland County: 38

Total: 134

February 24, 2010 at 12:07 pm

--John Manganaro

Tags: Bill Russell, John Murtha, PA-12, Republican Party, Tim Burns

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