Election 2000, The Pennsylvania Primaries: Pennsylvanians head to polls

Six Democratic hopefuls will vie today for the chance to challenge incumbent Sen. Rick Santorum. With the presidential primary races long over, today's Pennsylvania primary might have been nothing more than a formality. But among the various national and local elections on the ballot, the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Republican Rick Santorum has clearly emerged as a rough-and-tumble match worth watching. The six candidates vying for the nomination have spent months preparing for today's elections. They've canvassed from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and everywhere in between. They've debated each other endlessly. They've sought every endorsement they can think to find. And when today's results are tallied, the field of six Democrats competing to take on the Republican incumbent will be narrowed down to one survivor. According to Political Science Professor Henry Teune, whoever receives the go-ahead from today's primary is in for a rough ride. "This is no walk for any Democrat," he explained. "Santorum's going to be hard to beat." State Senator Allyson Schwartz, U.S. Rep. Ron Klink and former state Secretary of Labor and Industry Tom Foley have emerged as the leading contenders for the nomination. In the tradition of state primaries, many are predicting that few voters will make it to the polls tomorrow, thereby making it virtually impossible for political analysts to pick a winner from among the contenders. "The election depends on who is going to turn out at the polls," Bruce Caswell, chairman of the Political Science Department at Rowan University in New Jersey, said last night. "And in this primary, where there will be such low turnout, there's no real clue as to who will win." The frontrunners The race's three leading contenders -- Schwartz, Foley and Klink -- are no strangers to holding public office. Klink is currently serving his fourth term as a U.S. congressman for Pennsylvania's 4th District. Schwartz is in her third term as a state senator for Philadelphia and Montgomery counties. And in 1991, Foley became the youngest politician to serve as the state secretary for labor and industry. With this sort of experience behind each of them, the three candidates are trying to distinguish themselves by what they've done in government. Schwartz, an unabashed liberal who worked in health and human services for 20 years before turning to politics, has come to the forefront for her work in education and health care. As Democratic chair of the state Senate Education Committee, Schwartz has championed early childhood initiatives and statewide academic standards. But Foley -- who won national honors for increasing opportunities for minorities and women in the state Labor Department -- has also identified health care and education, as well as Social Security, as his top issues. The former professor and scholar of Irish history has advocated increased prescription drug coverage and a patient's bill of rights. Klink has also focused his campaign largely on education and health care. According to spokesman J.J. Balaban, Klink has "been talking more about health care than any other issue in this campaign." As a result, the congressman has spent his terms trying to expand health care coverage for children and secure a patient's bill of rights. Emotional appeal Since state officials are anticipating a low voter turnout today, each of the six candidates have been emphasizing the issues they think will have the greatest impact on mobilizing voters. And, Teune said, the candidates have repeatedly turned towards two hot items on the democratic agenda: gun safety and abortion. "It's turning into a race to see who's more pro-abortion," he noted. "In an election like this, you've got to activate the Democratic faithful [by] appeal[ing] to emotional issues." In opposition to conservative Santorum's staunch pro-life stance, five of the six Democratic nominees have identified themselves as pro-choice. Klink remains the sole pro-life Democrat, though his spokesman was quick to add that "being a pro-life Democrat in Pennsylvania isn't that odd." Schwartz spokeswoman Eulalia Brooks claimed that the state senator's track record on the issue reflects her commitment to the pro-choice camp. "She started the Elizabeth Blackwell Health Center, a model for many women's health centers," Brooks said. "She's been endorsed by every major pro-choice organization." However, to Foley and lawyers Bob Rovner and Murray Levin, abortion is simply a medical matter -- with no place for government. The sixth candidate, Phil Berg, could not be reached for comment. Like their stances on abortion, nearly all the candidates have emerged in distinct opposition to Santorum's stance against further gun control laws. Many of the six Democrats have declared their allegiance to what Levin calls "common-sense gun-safety measures," like child safety locks. University of Maryland Government and Politics Professor Paul Herrnson said it takes precisely these kind of inflammatory issues to mobilize voters in smaller elections like state primaries. "People who participate in primaries tend to be more ideologically extreme," he explained. "Sometimes that's what it takes to get people to the polls." Geographic struggle But today's election won't be decided simply by issues. According to Penn Public Policy and History Professor Theodore Hershberg, recent polls indicate that support for the three major candidates largely coincides with their area of residence. "There's a big geographic divide," Hershberg said. "There's been such limited media and visibility on this my sense is people will follow geography." "I'm not sure any of the issues emerged strong enough to differentiate the major candidates," he added. With Schwartz hailing from Philadelphia and Klink claiming residence in Pittsburgh, Teune said the race could turn into a face-off between the state's urban poles. Caswell agreed, adding that Western Pennsylvania historically votes at a higher rate than other areas of the state -- which could work to the advantage of Klink. "It really depends on which parts of the state come out tomorrow," Caswell said. Organizational battle Yet regardless of the issues -- or of a candidate's place of residence --Teune claims that today's race will eventually come down to each candidate's endorsements. "It's an organizational thing," he explained. "Endorsements will help. What these groups can deliver in votes is key." Philadelphia Mayor John Street gave Schwartz his endorsement in late February, calling her "the MVP for Pennsylvania's children and families." "She's a real strong supporter of public education," Street's spokeswoman Barbara Grant explained. "And, importantly, the mayor thinks she can beat Santorum in the fall." This endorsement, Teune said, may prove to be crucial. "Street's guys can deliver votes," Teune said of the mayor's endorsement. "That'll help Schwartz." Klink, too, has received dozens of endorsements, including several from U.S. congressmen. Foley received a significant boost when The Philadelphia Inquirer handed him their endorsement. And the state's labor groups remain largely split between Foley and Klink. "It's all split. It's so evenly split," Caswell said, noting that the even distribution of endorsements render many ineffective. "With endorsements we're only talking thousands of votes," he explained. "Of course, in this primary, with low voter turnout, thousands of votes might make a big difference," he continued. The real challenge Although today will mark the end of the race for five of the candidates, today's victor will only be starting the real work. Most experts predict that the conservative Santorum will be an especially hard candidate for a Democrat to defeat. Teune notes that Santorum is in "way better shape financially" than any of the Democratic candidates. But to Caswell, the Democrats will probably not win because they aren't strong enough candidates. "They're all very weak," he explained, although he also said that Santorum himself isn't that strong of a candidate. "Only about 15 percent of incumbents lose," he continued. "You just can't beat a weak incumbent with a weak challenger."

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