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Kelly hopes to unite local GOP after tough primary

The six-way Republican primary in the 3rd Congressional District was as contentious as any other in the state, with candidates and grassroots activists feuding over just who was the most conservative choice. But now that Butler car dealer Mike Kelly has narrowly prevailed, he needs most if not all of the votes Republicans cast against him to win a competitive race against freshman Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-3).

So Kelly is hoping to bring people together. It won’t be easy; the run-up to the primary was increasingly contentious, with front-runners Kelly Paul Huber trading blows over everything from fiscal responsibility to milking cows. Meanwhile, some grassroots conservatives strongly preferred Tea Party activist Clayton Grabb, who came in third.

“Uniting the party is going to be the big challenge, but the climate will help with that,” Kelly told pa2010.com in a recent interview. “I faced off against a group of honorable and respectable candidates, and I’m sure their supporters know we’re all in this together.”

Democrats hold a slight registration edge in the district, but many of those voters are conservative-leaning. Dahlkemper got far more votes than Kelly on primary day thanks to a much less competitive nominating contest. So now Kelly needs to build a coalition among Republicans, Democrats and independents. Kelly said he’s been reaching out to his felled opponents in the district, which is currently No. 2 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings.

“They were all great folks I went up against, and I enjoyed being with them,” he said said. “We’re were all in this for the same reason I believe, and I invite them all to join in our effort to put another conservative voice in Congress. ”

Daniel Shea, who is closely following the race as the director of Allegheny College’s Center for Political Participation, said Kelly’s effusive personality would help in courting some conservatives who were skeptical of him.

“As far as these things go, I don’t think any of the campaigns threw enough mud to really damage the party,” Shea said. “I don’t think the party will be significantly fractured, not with Republicans so willing to come together. Between the Tea Party movement, anger about health care and the ballooning deficit, I would say Kelly has a real chance of leading a charge.”

June 7, 2010 at 10:43 am

--John Manganaro

Tags: Clayton Grabb, Kathy Dahlkemper, Mike Kelly, PA-3, Paul Huber

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