Hot state races

The CityPaper has an article looking at events and allegiances behind two State House races that span downtown Philadelphia -- the 175th (a competitive 3-way primary) and 182nd (where a ballot challenge is to be heard by the Supreme Court). Also mentioned here is an irregular pattern of rulings in ballot challenge cases; it's not clear how much precedent is involved versus the stature of the candidate being challenged.

The Philadelphia Public Record offers a more in-depth look at the 175th race. It points out that the district crosses boundaries of loyalties and subcultures, which has led to a complicated patchwork, as Ward leaders endorse O'Brien, the former Rep's one-time chief of staff; various unions and local politicians line up behind Graboyes, a generally progressive businesswoman and committeeperson; and activists and reformers tout Dicker, a political organizer with a host of enthusiastic volunteer staffers and few ties to the current party machine. Many groups are finding their loyalties divided, and it's unclear who will marshall the resources and votes when election day comes. The elephant in the livingroom here is the future prospect of casino developments, which will be occurring at at least one site in this District, and many of the alliances may reflect interests in those projects, although only Dicker (a casino opponent) is talking about them.

I recommend the whole piece (found via PoliticsPhilly) to anybody trying to get a handle on this race. I also expect we'll be hearing a lot more about these candidates in the next few weeks!