Democrats warned: Don't aid Specter
The senator has wooed ward leaders. Officials in the party are preaching unity.
By Carrie Budoff
Inquirer Staff Writer
The message to Philadelphia Democratic ward leaders packed inside party headquarters came across clearly: Don't even think about working for Republican U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter.
Word had gotten around that Specter was targeting the 69 ward chiefs in a strategy to steal Democratic support from his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Joseph M. Hoeffel. So Mayor Street and other officials in the party pressed for unity at the meeting last week.
Specter's reach into the Democratic ward level in Philadelphia is the latest example of his dash across the political spectrum since the April Republican primary forced him into playing up his conservative credentials to barely outlast U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Toomey.
Since then, Specter has been looting the Democratic base, snaring endorsements from labor unions, black clergy and elected officials. Now setting his sights on ward leaders, Specter has hired a Democratic consultant, Maurice Floyd, to help make it happen, though it is unclear whether any have agreed to assist.
"In this election, from the primary to the general, he is going to have done as much of a circuit from the right to the left as he ever has in his career," Michael Young, a polling consultant based in Hershey, Pa., said of Specter.
The cross-party recruitment highlights a crucial component of the four-term senator's electoral game plan: prevent Hoeffel from racking up a sizable margin of victory in the city, where the Democrat must perform well to overcome GOP votes in central Pennsylvania.
Specter, 74, a former Philadelphia district attorney who was a Democrat in the 1960s, has used this formula since his first Senate run in 1980. He has not won the city since then, but he does better than other Republicans, alleviating some of his pressure for votes elsewhere in the state.
"That is one of the keys to his reelection," said Christopher Nicholas, Specter's campaign manager. "What is surprising is that Hoeffel did not have his base locked down."
Kristin Carvell, Hoeffel's campaign spokeswoman, said Specter is engaging in the "old-school politics he has always practiced. He has to. He needs Democrats."
"But the problem is, at the same time, the Republican base is against him," Carvell said, citing his primary fight and the booing he has received at rallies for President Bush. "Democrats also know that he voted with the Bush-Cheney administration 89 percent of the time. So he will have a hard time convincing them to vote for him. He is in a bind."
Hoeffel, 53, of Montgomery County, has been using Specter's primary campaign against him, posting video on his Web site as a reminder.
One clip is an ad showing U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum endorsing Specter and calling him a "key vote" in favor of Bush's tax cuts. Another shows Specter telling a TV interviewer in April that Bush supports his chairing the Judiciary Committee because "he thinks I can help get his justices confirmed." A message from the Hoeffel campaign then flashes on the screen: "George W. Bush wants to take away a woman's right to choose. Do you want to give Arlen Specter the chance to help him?"
But it seems that primary-campaign rhetoric didn't turn off Democrats such as Philadelphia Sheriff John Green and former U.S. Rep. Frank Mascara of Washington County, both of whom endorsed Specter. Or groups such as the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity, which traditionally back Democrats but went with Specter because of his seniority.
Sister Mary Scullion, a Democrat and longtime advocate for the homeless in Philadelphia, agreed to support Specter in his latest TV ad - her first public foray into campaign politics. She said she found his conservative rhetoric in the primary "disheartening" but wanted to help him because of his work on issues affecting needy populations.
"He does serve our constituency, and he is accessible, and he votes his mind," Scullion said.
Targeting Philadelphia's ward leaders elevates the Democratic turf war to a different level, one that is less conspicuous, but potentially as important. They talk up their candidate outside polling places and pass out leaflets. Their currency is street money - a financial inducement for workers to pull out the vote on Election Day. Specter has been known to throw around large sums of it.
"Somebody made a mention that there was some Specter money available, and would I be interested," said Michael McAleer, a 66th Ward leader. "I wasn't interested. I am for Hoeffel."
In 1992, analysts pointed to Specter's ground game in Philadelphia as integral to his tight win that year over Democrat Lynn Yeakel. While former President Bill Clinton took the city by 301,000 votes, Yeakel beat Specter there by less than half that amount, 122,000 votes. She lost the state by 133,000 votes out of 4.8 million cast.
"That lesson has not been forgotten," said Ken Smuckler, a Philadelphia Democratic consultant. "Specter's campaign in Philadelphia is more like what you would see in Democratic primary campaigns. It is ward leader by ward leader, political operative by political operative."
The Specter campaign hired Floyd, a consultant and former city commissioner, in July to provide Philadelphia-based strategy. Part of that job is to reach out to ward leaders, Floyd said.
"We are putting the message out that we would like their support, and they know our record and our history," Floyd said.
He would not disclose whether any have agreed to work for Specter. The campaign also declined comment.
There could be consequences, said U.S. Rep. Bob Brady, chairman of the Philadelphia Democratic Party. Any ward leader who supports somebody not on the endorsed general election ticket could get booted from their post, he said.
But Brady didn't fault Specter for trying.
"No. 1, I can't stop him. No. 2, it is his right," Brady said. "I would make the calls, too, if I were him."
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Contact staff writer Carrie Budoff at 610-313-8211 or cbudoff@phillynews.com. |
