State politicians get ready for primaries

Six Senate hopefuls are vying for heDemocratic nomination on April 4. With the major presidential candidates already set, state primaries are no longer headlining the evening news. In Pennsylvania, however, primary season is far from over. On April 4, hundreds of candidates will be vying for smaller offices ranging from United States senator to representative in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Though the Pennsylvanian primary probably will not attract national attention, state officials maintain the primary's importance lies in the effect it will have on state politics. "This election is not just about the top of the ticket. It's about the delegations in the convention and it's about local officials," Pennsylvania Republican State Committee spokeswoman Lauren Cotter Brobson explained. And according to Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee spokeswoman Sandi Vito, the race where votes will count the most will likely be the six-way Democratic struggle to challenge Republican Sen. Rick Santorum. The six candidates have turned out in an effort to oust the conservative Santorum, who was swept into office in the 1994 Republican electoral landslide. With the focus in Pennsylvania on the race for the Senate, Political Science Professor Henry Teune thinks the true contest lies not among all six Democrats but among three key candidates: State Sen. Allison Schwartz, former state secretary of labor and industry Tom Foley and U.S. Rep. Ron Klink. "This is going to have to be an organizational fight," Teune said, explaining that endorsements of the different candidates are going to be crucial in swaying voters this April. Despite the fact that Philadelphia Mayor John Street recently endorsed Schwartz, the only woman in the race, Teune said her close ties with her predominately Democratic hometown of Philadelphia will work against her in the primary. The Democratic candidates will be on campus on Wednesday for a debate sponsored by the College Democrats. But despite the local focus on the senatorial race, the Pennsylvania primary will not be entirely irrelevant to presumptive presidential nominees Al Gore and George W. Bush. According to state spokeswoman Stephanie Rimer, this primary differs from most years not only because presidential candidates appear on the ballot, but because it gives voters the opportunity to nominate delegates to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions this summer. "Pennsylvania is a state that is a must win for either part in the fall," Brobson said. "The primary is a good indication of what voter turnout might be in the fall." However, with the presidential nominations basically decided, Teune predicted voter turnout April 4 will be low, estimating that no more than 25 percent of registered voters will cast a ballot come primary day. "There's no real attraction," he noted. "Most of the voters don't know who these people are." Furthermore, he added, the national parties will be concentrating little attention on Pennsylvania after the recent victories of Gore and Bush. But Vito, Brobson and Rimer all contend that the upcoming primary is important regardless of the degree of national resonance, citing the primary as an early opportunity for Pennsylvania residents to make their voices heard.

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