Pennsylvania is critically important for Democrats. In 2020, the commonwealth helped propel Joe Biden to the White House. And in 2022, now-Sen. John Fetterman (D) won a hotly contested Senate race, giving Democrats control of the Senate.
To win in 2024, Democrats will need to win Pennsylvania again. But the state party currently finds itself in a state of total chaos, according to a new report.
Politico reported on Friday the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is “reeling from financial problems and a lack of trust across the party.” Those financial problems include layoffs, and the trust issues are centered on whether party chairman Sharif Street, a member of the state Senate, is the right man for the job.
Here is what sources told Politico about the state of the party:
- A former party staffer: “It’s a f***ing disaster.”
- A party committee member: “It’s amateur hour.”
- A top state Democratic elected official: “Pennsylvania is the single biggest battleground state in the country in the presidential election, and we have a total incompetent, lazy guy who has no clue what he’s doing running the state party.”
- Democratic consultant Mike Mikus: “It’s concerning that the state party is laying people off as we’re heading into a really important Supreme Court race, which then leads into the presidential year. They’re going to have to figure out a path forward to build their own fundraising operation, and it sounds like there’s a lot of building to be done right now.”
Additionally, Politico reported that officials at the “highest levels” of the Democratic Party, including Biden administration officials, have also expressed concern about their Keystone State colleagues.
Street acknowledged that some Democrats in the national party are not happy with how he is running the Pennsylvania party. But he said recent victories — Fetterman’s win, in addition to winning the 2022 gubernatorial race and flipping the state House last year — soften any pressure from critics.
“We’ve done things a little differently, and I know that may have ruffled some feathers with sort of the national chatterbox class,” he told Politico. “They weren’t exactly excited about my candidacy for chair for a lot of reasons.
“Politics is like sports,” he said. “We had a good record last year. We’ve been winning.”
It’s true. Victories speak volumes. But if the problems are as bad as Politico reported, then Street has a difficult road ahead of him.
Not only will Pennsylvania prove critical to whoever wins the 2024 presidential election, but Sen. Bob Casey (D) is running for re-election and Democrats cannot afford to lose his seat. Meanwhile, there is a significant election forthcoming for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in which abortion is expected to be the key issue.
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