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Five Democrats who could shake up the Governor’s race

For months, Democratic insiders have looked at their party’s field for Governor and asked: “Is this it?”

And that was before Lehigh County Executive Don Cunningham stepped aside. The candidates that remain are perceived front-runner Dan Onorato, the Allegheny County Executive, state Auditor General Jack Wagner and Philadelphia businessman Tom Knox. While those candidates would surely wave off such a perception, there’s no denying that people on both sides of the aisle consider the Democratic field, at the moment, to be relatively weak.

“There’s got to be someone else who’s going to come up, right?” one Democratic consultant not involved in the race asked pa2010.com recently.

With that in mind, we offer up a list of the five Democrats who could potentially turn next year’s primary upside down. An important caution: There’s little if any reason to believe that any of these folks would even consider making a run for the Governor’s Mansion.

But in the world where political blood sport equals priceless entertainment… we can hope.

5. Josh Shapiro

Probably the least likely on our list to even think of such a move right now, the Montgomery County state Representative is known to have ambitions for higher office and was stymied in his attempts to run for Senate when Arlen Specter switched parties. He’s being encouraged to run for Lieutenant Governor. But when you’re young, handsome and a tireless campaigner, why settle for second fiddle? Still, as he works to avoid alienating his fellow lawmakers during a contentious budget season, a run at the Governor’s Mansion is almost certainly the last thing on his mind.

4. Chris Doherty

The Scranton Mayor is emerging as a political powerhouse from a major population center that is increasingly important to winning statewide elections. He’s flying high after winning the Democratic nomination for reelection while, in a rare and fascinating quirk, also winning the Republican nomination as a write-in. Yes, that means his name will be on both sides of the ballot this November. He’s also thinking of a run for Lt. Gov. But like we said above, why settle?

3. Joe Sestak

That’s right, the same Delaware County Congressman who won’t stop talking about his all-but-definite “intention to run against” Senator Arlen Specter next year. In spite of all the noise he’s made, some people still just can’t seem to believe he’s going to run against Specter and the entire Democratic establishment. In the meantime, a statewide media blitz is likely to do wonders for his name recognition. Maybe he’d like to be Governor instead?

2. Allyson Schwartz

The Montgomery County Congresswoman might do more than anyone on this list to completely change the dynamic of the Governor’s race if she wanted to. Yes, she’d be the only woman running from either party. But she would also bring a different, lower-key, down-to-business style than some of the other candidates we’ve named. She’s holed up in Washington trying to help push health care reform through Congress, so until that happens, don’t expect any political movement from her. But hey, it could happen, right?

And the No. 1 Democrat who could shake up the Governor’s race is… Bob Casey

The first-term Senator, former gubernatorial candidate and son-of-a-governor is the big kahuna on this list, the man who could throw all our assumptions about the race out the window. Though he lost the primary to Ed Rendell in 2002, his credentials as a conservative Democrat remain ideal for a state still coming to terms with its increasingly liberal identity. As a close ally to President Obama, he could have more help from the White House than one might think. He’s sitting in a Senate seat that’s probably his for as long as he wants it. But the beautiful part? As a Senator not on the ballot in 2010, he wouldn’t even have to give that up to make another run at the Mansion.

So now it’s all out there. Any takers?

July 8, 2009 at 2:14 pm

--Dan Hirschhorn

Tags: Allyson Schwartz, Bob Casey, Chris Doherty, Dan Onorato, Jack Wagner, Joe Sestak, Josh Shapiro, Tom Knox

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