PA-SN 2022 megathread: Shrek vs. The Wizard of Oz

[MargieCat]

https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/538007-ryan-grim-rep-conor-lamb-very-likely-to-enter-pennsylvania-senate-race

In addition to Lamb, State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta might run.

This article speculates that Kenyatta and Fetterman would split the progressive vote, creating a lane for Conor Lamb.

I hope Lamb stays out of this race.

Fetterman is much stronger, imo. If people want a conservative blue dog, they would just vote republican.

Let Lamb run for Governor.

[MargieCat]

I guess right now I'm Kenyatta > Arkoosh > Fetterman

Lamb is the wildcard. I'd probably put him first then, but I'm not sure. I would really love for PA to break some real progressive ground with Kenyatta.

You want PA to break "real progressive ground" (with a candidate who's narrowly less progressive than Fetterman) but would throw that out the window when Lamb runs?

Supporting Manchin Jr. to own the Bros

Lamb is more like Biden than Manchin.

[MargieCat]

I wouldn't be surprised if Biden endorses Lamb, assuming he endorses anyone in the primary.

Biden said the Lamb reminds him of his son Beau, which he also said about Buttigieg.

While he is more moderate than Fetterman or Kenyatta, he wouldn't be another Manchin or Sinema. He'd be more like a Booker, Klobuchar, or Gillibrand.

[MargieCat]

The fact that no notable republicans (ones that actually won their races) are running for this seat and both a sitting democratic representative (Conor Lamb) and the sitting LG (John Fetterman), it makes me think that the GOP doesn't have energy on their side in PA.

There are plenty of republicans in the PA house delegation that can run and make this race competitive.

Parnell, Barnette, Bartos, Gale, and Stern, are all losers (electorally speaking).

[MargieCat]

Honestly, I'm not impressed with any of the Democrats currently running right now.

Kenyatta is too far left to win a general election in Pennsylvania (though he might have been able to get away with it in a more Democratic year), Lamb won't win over base Democrats, and Fetterman should have run for Governor, quite honestly, as he just hasn't impressed me in this race.

I think the best possible candidate would have been Matt Cartwright, actually. I mean, sure we'd lose his seat, but Cartwright's likely going to lose reelection, unless a Dem Gerrymander were passed for some reason.

Why is that?

Do you think Shapiro is the wrong candidate for Governor (assuming he runs)?

[MargieCat]

https://twitter.com/JonathanTamari/status/1445441371066667009

Cool candidate PAGOP!

For a state that is still a solid swing state in most ways yet which the GOP controls in the legislature, the Pennsylvania GOP really sucks at recruiting statewide candidates. That more than anything is probably why the state's elections in 2018 were blowouts for the Democrats when they probably should have been more similar to Michigan's results.

I agree.

As I've said earlier on this thread, the PA congressional delegation is 50% republican. It's so weird that not a single one is running for senate.

Most of the candidates running on the GOP side were losers in 2020. Parnell, Barnette, Bartos, and Gale, all lost races.

Meanwhile, the democrats have both a sitting congressman and the sitting lieutenant governor running on their side, as well as others.

It makes me wonder if there is some anxiety from the GOP side.