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After an electoral sweep, Doherty eyes higher office

Scranton Mayor Chis Doherty pulled off an unusual Election Day coup this month when the Democrat won his party’s nomination for reelection while also winning the Republican nomination as a write-in candidate. Now, the popular mayor is rumored to be eyeing bigger things, with potential runs for Congress or Lieutenant Governor in the mix.

If he runs for Congress, he could find himself a surprisingly crowded primary field against Congressman Paul Kanjorski (D-11). Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien has signaled he will probably run, and with Kanjorski considered vulnerable by people in both parties, others are also considering the race.

Doherty could be a potent candidate for Lt. Gov. Only one Democrat has said he is likely to run, and having a candidate on the ticket from the increasingly populous Scranton area could prove useful to a top-ticket gubernatorial candidate.

In a recent interview with pa2010.com, Doherty was mostly coy about his ambitions for higher office.

“Anything I can do that would help Scranton in the future I would do,” Doherty said. “We’ll look at what’s going on down the road.”

But his political allies have been touting his credentials, foremost among them the economic revival he is largely credited with overseeing. His electoral sweep this month only gave them more ammunition.

“I feel great,” Doherty said. “It’s just a reaffirmation of people’s feelings about where the city has gone.”

State Democratic Party Chairman T.J. Rooney told The Times-Tribune that Doherty’s name has come up in conversations about Lt. Gov. candidates.

“Chris is very, very well thought of by a lot of people in a lot of different places,” Rooney said. “Chris has always been an impressive politician and … the governor thinks highly of Chris.”

May 27, 2009 at 8:47 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Chris Doherty, PA-11, Paul Kanjorski

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