Aside From That Senate Race, No Big Surprises

U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak's defeat of Sen. Arlen Specter may have been the most talked-about victory of the May 18 Pennsylvania primary, but political observers say that beyond that, the day held few surprises.

Once the Specter-Sestak race was taken out of the mix, "it was pretty much as we expected," according to Hank Butler, executive director of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition.

Pat Toomey cruised to victory in the Republican senatorial primary. Specter barely fended off a primary challenge from him in 2004; his party switch five years later was largely seen as a way to avoid another close contest with Toomey.

Center City political analyst Larry Ceisler observed that neither Toomey nor Sestak appears to have an edge among Jewish voters, and at least at this point, "the Jewish vote is up for grabs" in all the major races.

In the four-way Democratic race to succeed Gov. Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato bested his three rivals by a margin of more than 20 percent. All four candidates were courting Jewish votes and dollars, and Onorato made his first trip to Israel last November.

Butler said that it was hard to determine to what extent visiting the Jewish state benefited the candidate. But, he said, "I think it gave Onorato a good perspective of the issues of importance to the federations and to the Jewish community as a whole."

Bala Cynwyd attorney Robert Fox was an early Onorato supporter who visited Israel with the candidate. He said that the trip helped introduce the candidate to a number of voters in the eastern part of Pennsylvania, where he didn't have as much of a base.

On the Republican side, State Attorney General Tom Corbett trumped State Rep. Sam Rohrer (R-District 128) by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

All candidates voiced support for a bill that would force state pension funds to divest from foreign-owned companies with investments in Iran or Sudan. Butler noted that the bill -- which has already cleared the State Senate -- is on track to be passed by the House and land on the governor's desk by the end of June.

In the Democratic race for lieutenant governor, Northeast Philadelphian Jonathan Saidel -- formerly Philadelphia City Controller -- seems to have been edged out by State Rep. Scott Conklin (D-District 77). Conklin won by less than half a percentage point, and while state law generally does a recount in races that close, Saidel requested on May 26 that there be no recount. The statewide tally would have cost about $500,000, according to state officials.

Conklin will face Bucks County Commissioner Jim Cawley, who scooped up about 26 percent of the votes in a nine-way contest in the Republican primary.

Several observers pointed out that although Saidel has a history in Philadelphia, that association may have been a liability in other parts of the state.

Robin Schatz, director of government affairs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said that both gubernatorial candidates "are keenly aware of their Jewish constituencies," and both have Jewish advisers who are active in their campaigns.

In one of the state's most closely watched congressional races, Iraq-war veteran Manan Trivedi beat out former Philadelphia Inquirer editorial writer Doug Pike by fewer than 1,000 votes.

Pike and Trivedi were vying for the chance to take on U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-District 6) in the fall.

Gerlach's seat has been a top target for Democrats during his eight years in the House; he won contested elections in both 2006 and 2008.

In local city races, State Rep. Babette Josephs (D-District 182) held on to her seat in a contest with Gregg Kravitz, winning by a margin of about 20 percent. A member of the Jewish Labor Committee, she has represented Center City since 1984.