Michael Livingston's Blog
Michael Livingston's Blog
Purple in Pennsylvania
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The ‘Matthews effect,’ the 13th District and the decline of the MontCo GOP
The Montgomery County GOP has endorsed Dee Adcock of Abington for Congress in the 13th Congressional District over the somewhat better-funded Damion Dachowski and several other candidates. Dachowski, who led on the first ballot, conceded the race likely leaving Adcock to face incumbent Democrat Allyson Schwartz, a heavy favorite, in the fall.
Early comments on the vote have emphasized the so-called Matthews Effect, under which anyone associated with County Commissioner Jim Matthews, a Republican who has thrown his lot in with Democrat Joe Hoeffel on the county board, is consigned to political oblivion (Dachowski is related to Matthews by marriage). Dachowski had raised more money than Adcock, although still vastly less than that available to Schwartz, and seemed to have a better campaign operation.
I don’t know much about Adcock, and I don’t know what role, if any, the Matthews connection played in Dachowski’s defeat. I do know that Adcock’s quarterly report shows him having raised a grand total of $3,450 beyond the $15,000 he himself has contributed to the campaign, and the lead article on his Web site is from a publication known as Pool and Spa News (Adcock is a swimming pool contractor). Neither of these is likely to frighten Schwartz, who is sitting on more than $2.8 million, or even force her to spend much time and money defending a seat in what until recently was a swing district. While Republicans in Bucks County, Delaware County and elsewhere move aggressively to take advantage of the new political climate, the Montgomery County Republican Party thus prefers to settle personal scores and focus on local patronage issues.
It may, or may not, retain control of the county in two years. But its days as anything more than a local force are pretty much over.
February 12, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Tags: Allyson Schwartz, Damian Dachowski, Dee Adcock, Montgomery County, PA-13
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Bio: Michael Livingston is a law professor at the Rutgers University in Camdem and was a 2008 Republican candidate for Congress in Pennsylvania's 2nd District. He also blogs at http://mikelivingston.blogspot.com.
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Kevin
Feb 12th, 2010
“Perhaps she’s too busy raising money trying to inundate her likely challenger, Damian Dachowski, before he pulls off a Scott Brown-like upset in the 13th District.” – Michael Livingston on Rep. Schwartz
Good call, Livingston. As I’ve said before, stick to sexism because electoral politics/analysis is obviously not your game.
Jim
Feb 13th, 2010
The Matthews Effect is proven itself over and over again and people like Damien have unfairly been trampled. He cut his own throat by accepting an appointment from Uncle Jim to a Heath Board so Matthews could replace an opponent. That opponent is well connected in county GOP circles and made certain that Damien was the latest victim of the Effect. Bob Asher architect of the Matthews/Hoeffel deal that has led the political demise of Matthews tried, at Matthews’ pleading, to save the boy, but to not avail. The real victim is Matthews himself. A victim of Bob Asher. Now it appears Matthews will share the fate of the man to whom he has dedicated a shrine in his county office. Prison.
kristin
Apr 12th, 2010
Just to be more specific, Adcock is not a swimming pool contractor. He runs a wholesale warehouse distributorship of swimming pools and supplies. He sells to swimming pool contractors and retail stores and not to the general public except in his singular retail store at the ssame site as the warehouse.