LEFTOVERS: Critz sworn in, Steele says GOP will win, the Saidel robo-call

Democrat Mark Critz is now a congressman. The longtime John Murtha aide officially stepped into his late boss’ shoes on Thursday, being pMeanwhile, Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele says Critz shouldn’t get too comfortable. Despite the fact that his party took a beating in the special election, Steele says wealthy businessman Tim Burns will prevail in his November rematch against Critz. Steele blamed the fact that Democrats had higher turnout because of their competitive statewide primaries. “In November, we’ll get that seat back because, guess what, independent conservatives get to play then and that will be a very different race,” Steele Sunday during “This Week” on emABC /em(see video below)./p
pAnd lastly, there’s one thing that sat in the empa2010.com Central /eminbox for far too long: the mysterious robo-call that targeted Jonathan Saidel in the hours before he suffered what looks like a devastating loss in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. Saidel may still get a recount against state Representative Scott Conklin (D-Centre), and most of the blame for how things turned out has to fall on his campaign. But one factor, however small, may have been the robo-call. Phones in Philadelphia received the robo-call, in which a woman who says she’s backing Doris Smith-Ribner in the race asks if “Saidel is running for controller or for grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.”/p
pThat’s a reference to a brief controversy from the early 1990s, when Saidel said he opposed school busing plans to send children to “parts of the city that look like East Beirut.” Shortly after, then-City Councilman Michael Nutter said he thought Saidel was “running for city controller, not grand wizard.” It remains unclear who put out the robo-call, and Smith-Ribner has said she had nothing to do with it. But the Saidel campaign wasn’t happy./p
p“To suggest that Jonathan Saidel, of Jewish heritage and a champion of civil rights for his whole career, has anything to do with the KKK is disgusting,” campaign spokesman Marty Marks a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/cityhall/Saidel_Slammed_In_Campaign_Robocall_Linking_Him_To_KKK.html" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.philly.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.philly.com%2Fphilly%2Fblogs%2Fcityhall%2FSaidel_Slammed_In_Campaign_Robocall_Linking_Him_To_KKK.html','told+The+Daily+News')" target="_blank"told emThe Daily News/em/a. “It’s politics at its worst.”/p
pa href="http://www.pa2010.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/LtGov_robocall.mp3" onclick="javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackEvent','outbound-article','http://www.pa2010.com']);return TrackClick("http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pa2010.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F05%2FLtGov_robocall.mp3','Listen+to+partial+audio+of+the+call+here.')" target="_blank">Listen to partial audio of the call here.

May 23, 2010 at 5:03 pm | Comments (11)

Conklin: Imminent victory ‘proves that your vote really does matter’

Scott Conklin was on the verge of an incredible upset win in the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor on Wednesday, holding onto a lead that was just large enough to avoid the need for an automatic recount.

Conklin, a state Representative from Centre County, was widely seen as the underdog against former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel, who had exponentially more campaign cash, as well as overwhelming support from party and labor leaders. But as…

May 19, 2010 at 7:50 pm | Comments (22)

Conklin and Saidel locked in too-close-to-call Lt. Gov. race

PHILADELPHIA—It wasn’t quite the race they were expecting.

Supporters of former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel came to the Warwick Hotel here Tuesday thinking a victory party was a sure thing. Saidel was the endorsed party candidate, enjoyed a huge financial advantage and the support of labor organizations far and wide.

But things weren’t that simple.

By the end of the night, Saidel and state Representative Scott Conklin (D-Centre) were locked in a surprisingly close…

May 19, 2010 at 6:36 am | Comments (6)

Saidel launching first TV ad Friday

Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Jonathan Saidel is set to hit the airwaves with his first campaign ad Friday, a 30-second spot that highlights his role as Philadelphia’s fiscal watchdog in the 1990s.

The 30-second spot is airing in every media market except Philadelphia, the campaign said, where Saidel’s name recognition is high from years as the city controller. Saidel, the party’s endorsed candidate and the overwhelming favorite in the May 18 primary, appears to be…

May 6, 2010 at 1:00 pm | Comments (20)

Another Dem emerges for Lt. Gov.

Almost two weeks after the state Democratic Party overwhelmingly endorsed Jonathan Saidel for Lieutenant Governor, a Centre County state lawmaker is gearing up for a late push at the second-ticket office.

State Representative Scott Conklin (D-Centre) is gathering signatures to get on the ballot, The Centre Daily Times

February 17, 2010 at 5:32 pm | Comments (21)

LEFTOVERS: Dems hit Fitzpatrick, A Philly ward backs Hoeffel & Saidel

Bucks County Democrats on Wednesday criticized former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick for claiming he has “no interest in becoming a professional politician,” unveiling a Web video that juxtaposes the comment with 20 years worth of electoral campaigning as both a candidate and a political operative.

“It’s hard to believe, but Congressman Fitzpatrick, a guy who has been running for political office for 20 years, claimed that he has ‘no interest in becoming a professional politician,’” Neil…

February 10, 2010 at 8:30 pm | Comments (10)

Saidel easily wins Lt. Gov. endorsement (Video)

LANCASTER—It didn’t even need to go to a roll-call vote.

After campaigning for Lieutenant Governor for more than a year, former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel easily won the state Democratic Party’s endorsement here Saturday, needing only a simple voice-vote to do so. Former Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner is also running, but a candidacy that has struggled to get off the ground now seems even more unlikely to have a strong showing in the…

February 6, 2010 at 3:45 pm | Comments (9)

With deep local support, Saidel enters Lt. Gov. race

PHILADELPHIA—After more than a year of fundraising and building party support, former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel formally entered the race for Lieutenant Governor on Monday, saying he was eager to return to public service and expand the role of an office usually seen as mostly ceremonial figurehead.

“I’m running because I miss helping people,” Saidel said before a cadre of elected officials and party leaders at City Hall here. “I really miss helping people.…

January 25, 2010 at 7:24 pm | Comments (4)

Saidel camp warns guv candidates not to go looking for a Lt. Gov. deal

Former Philadelphia City Controller Jonathan Saidel’s campaign has a stern warning for any gubernatorial candidates thinking they might be able to leverage their exit from the race for a spot on the ticket as Lieutenant Governor:

Don’t even try it.

Saidel has been laying the groundwork for over a year and will formally announce his candidacy for Lt. Gov. Monday afternoon. But responding to increased speculation that a candidate for governor could join Allegheny County…

January 21, 2010 at 3:45 pm | Comments (10)

Smith-Ribner opts for Lt. Gov. race instead of Senate run

Former Commonwealth Court Judge Doris Smith-Ribner has decided to forgo her

January 8, 2010 at 10:35 am | Comments (0)