Fattah storms to landslide reelection

The Penn graduate wonThe Penn graduate won88% of the vote in hisThe Penn graduate won88% of the vote in hisWest Phila. district. and Rachel Markowitz Supporters of U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-2nd District) drank cocktails and fought over the remote control last night at the campaign's victory party -- a scene more closely resembling a typical living room than a reelection headquarters. Way before the numbers were final, the group already knew its candidate would head to Washington for another two years representing West Philadelphia. Fattah, a graduate of Penn's Fels Center of Government, triumphed over Republican candidate Larry Murphy, receiving 88.1 percent of the vote with 11.9 percent of precincts reporting. "The voters of the district gave me a tremendous vote of confidence," Fattah said. "But now there's a lot of work to do." Sandra McArthur, Fattah's campaign manager, said his reelection is an indication of the success he had in dealing with unemployment, education and crime during his first congressional term. Criminal attorney and Fattah supporter Joel Johnson said while opponent Murphy believes in "locking people up," Fattah is committed to preventative measures including education of youth. In discussing the recent crimes on Penn's campus, Fattah said the University is now one of the safest areas in the city, thanks to the increased security measures. "It's one of my major concerns as a Penn parent," he said, adding that his local office is located between 40th and 41st streets on Walnut Street. Fattah's daughter, Frances, is a College junior. Fattah noted that his victory is a step toward improvements in higher education. Like President Clinton, he supports the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which will include tax cuts for education and opportunities to increase access to college. Fattah would not discuss his opponent. "You couldn't put all the people that voted for him in a phone booth," he said, laughing. Murphy said he expected to receive 30 to 40 percent of the vote, something he said would have yielded support toward a Republican victory in 1998. Prior to the release of the election results, Murphy said Fattah will "never get 90 percent of the vote -- he can predict all he wants." Penn students were split between the two candidates, although none of them attended Fattah's victory party. College freshman Tom Kretchmar praised Fattah as "one of the few politicians in Philadelphia who's trying to accomplish something rather than running for their amusement." But College freshman Mark Kahn said he was tremendously upset to see Murphy lose. "[Fattah is] a dinosaur, a proponent of a dead philosophy -- the whole pro-taxes, welfare and anti-market economy has failed miserably," said the Republican committeeman of Ward 27's 20th precinct.