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LEFTOVERS: Williams’ next move, Saidel’s new gig, toss-up in the 11th

Democrat Anthony Williams didn’t make much public noise after finishing third in the gubernatorial primary last month, and he even passed on a chance to endorse Dan Onorato on primary night. But he was set to break that silence in a big way Thursday night, with plans for a two-hour event to “announce next steps” at the National Constitution Center. And even before the curtain came up on that number, Dave Davies at WHYY told us what the fuss would be about: Williams is going to run for state auditor general in 2012. Announcing for a hardly-glamorous statewide row office more than two years before Election Day may seem like an usual tack, but Williams is clearly ready to stay in the spotlight after he burst into the gubernatorial race late in the game.

Speaking of felled Democrats, Jonathan Saidel couldn’t win his party’s primary for Lieutenant Governor, but he got something of a plum party gig Thursday. The state Democratic Party announced that Saidel, a former Philadelphia City Controller, would head a transition team as newly-elected party chair Jim Burn takes the reins. Saidel’s team, the party said, will be “evaluating all aspects the State Democratic Party operations,” including staffing and fundraising. “Jonathan Saidel has an undisputed reputation as an innovative manager with the ability to maximize an organization’s efficiency by conducting a thorough analysis and applying out-of-the-box thinking,” Burn said in a statement.

And lastly, we’re hearing that our friends at the Cook Political Report are about to change their forecast in the 11th Congressional District. The ultimate handicappers will be changing their ranking from leans Democratic to a toss-up. Incumbent Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11) faces Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta for the third time in eight years. The race is currently No. 3 on the pa2010.com Congressional Power Rankings. In its latest dispatch, to be published Friday, Cook will take note of the fact that Kanjorski won less than 50 percent of the vote in last month’s primary, saying that “anytime an incumbent falls below 50 percent of the vote in a primary, it’s a serious sign of danger.”

June 24, 2010 at 9:59 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Anthony Williams, Jonathan Saidel, Lou Barletta, Lt. Gov., PA-11, Paul Kanjorski

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