Big progressive primary wins still await approval by general election voters
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The progressive wing of the Democratic Party chalked up big wins on Tuesday in the races for Allegheny County executive and Allegheny County district attorney.
But as KDKA-TV political editor Jon Delano explains, local analysts say it's not a done deal until all the voters cast a ballot this November.
Make no mistake — Sara Innamorato and Matt Dugan, the Democratic nominees for Allegheny County executive and district attorney, respectively, won big on May 16. But they still have to convince many more voters to give them a chance on Nov. 7.
Delano: "Do you think the progressive wing represents the majority of Democrats in Allegheny County?"
Findlay Township Democratic Party Chair Mike Cmar: "That is a really tough question."
When fully united, Democrats are tough to beat in Allegheny County because they outnumber Republicans two-to-one. But Republicans see a chance to take advantage of what they say are the extreme left-wing positions of Innamorato and Dugan.
"We have a chance from right now, today, 'til November to balance that shift," said Erin Koper, president of the Allegheny Council of Republican Women.
For county executive, the Republican is Joe Rockey, who says he's a political moderate. A former PNC senior executive whose family grew up on the North Side on food stamps, Rockey later became president of the Ronald McDonald House at UPMC Children's and serves on the board of the Catholic Charities of Pittsburgh.
At age 59, he says he has what the 37-year-old Innamorato lacks.
"We want someone with experience. Sara Innamorato, let's just call it like it is. She is a state representative and hasn't passed any bills," Koper said.
But Democrats say if Innamorato reaches out to the moderate majority, she'll do just fine in November.
"We value progressive thinking, progressive policies, but we also respect someone in that position who can be a steady hand, somebody who can show that they can fight for working families and advocate for the underdog, but simultaneously entertain conversations with labor unions and business interests," said Bhavini Patel, Edgewood council member.
The district attorney's race is a bit different since it may be a rematch, assuming Stephen Zappala wins the Republican write-in nomination.
"Zappala is a Democrat, so he's going to pull other Democrats to vote for him, as well as the Republican Party," Cmar said.
And Republicans think, for most voters, the issue of public safety will trump Dugan's desire to reform the criminal justice system.
"You look at what's going on in San Francisco, you look at some of the things that have happened in other cities over the last several years with far-left DAs in essence having a hands-off approach to certain, quote-unquote, petty crimes," said Lenny McAllister, a fellow at The Commonwealth Foundation.
The bottom line is for both Innamorato and Dugan, their big progressive wins in the primary still need to be ratified by a broader electorate this November.
