Replacing Fumo
Sam Wood reports:
11:55 a.m.
Larry Farnese stunned city power brokers last night with his victory over John Dougherty for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Senate district.
Farnese, a Center City attorney, said this morning in a phone interview that he will "most likely" stop practicing law if elected this November and become a full-time legislator.
Farnese, who grew up in the suburbs, won by a 5 percent margin over the Philly born-and-bred Dougherty. And did it without the endorsements of party officials.
As he walked down Walnut Street this morning, we spoke to Farnese by phone, our conversation interrupted by passersby congratulating him and wishing him luck.
Q: Are you part of the same storied family that ran a good part of Italy for centuries? (Ed. - The Farnese were a powerful noble family, particularly during the Renaissance.)
A: My roots go back to Italy, but I'm not sure. I've never been there. However, my grandfather traveled there quite often. I'd love to visit sometime.
.
Q: Where you surprised by your victory over John Dougherty?
A: Not really. It's really something I’ve been talking about for the last week. We did our own poll which had me between 2 or 4 points behind John with a margin of error of 5 percent. Even a big polling agency, Capital Wire, said last week it was a two point race.
I knew, and so did everybody, that it would be a close race. We had momentum over the weekend. My opponents were really coming at me, and with that I knew I was the front runner. We kept that momentum growing all weekend long. .
Q: You won without the endorsements of the Party's major players, Gov. Rendell and D.A. Lynne Abraham. How did that happen? A: I ran against the party machine in 2006 and I did it again yesterday.
The only endorsement that really matters was one the voters delivered April 22. And that’s the one I got.
.Q: What's next?
A: I want to take a little rest first. My campaign staff needs some well deserved time to spend with their families and get back to their lives. I have an election to run and I’ll be preparing for my campaign in the fall to win the general election. I'll also be working to elect the next Democratic President of the United States. .
Q: Who do you think will be the Democratic nominee?
A: After yesterday, I don’t know. I have no idea who it will be. It looks like a tossup. Obama is ahead on the popular vote and delegates, but Hillary had a great day yesterday. Both candidates had a great presence on the street at the polling places. I thought it was going to be a draw. But Hillary had a great day and I congratulate her on her victory.
.Q: If you win, do you plan to juggle your current job with senatorial duties?
A: Most likely I will not continue to practice law if I win. I’ll devote my time to being a full time legislator in the Senate. .
Q: Have either Johnny Doc or Anne Dicker called to concede and wish you well?
A: I have not had a chance to talk to John yet. Ann called and left a message. She was very gracious.
I respect both John and Anne. They both ran great races. I look forward to working with them both.
.
Q: Yesterday there seemed to be a push to have Anne withdraw from the race. Some folks feared she would be a spoiler and insure a Dougherty victory.
A: I heard there was some talk about trying to talk to Ann about that. But it’s over and done with. We’re united through the primary. I hope to have her support and John's support and look forward to working with them both. .Q: What platforms will you be running on? Do you have an agenda set if you win in the general election?
A: The first and most important task is to restore people's trust in the city. They need to know their senator is working for them and not for some personal interest.
My next focus will be to take illegal handguns off the streets of Philadelphia. I intend to work night and day to get Philadelphia the right to enact its own gun laws.
Third, I want to work to bring universal health care coverage to all Pennsylvanians. And finally, one of my platform issues will be making the playing field even for school kids in Philadelphia. They should have the same opportunities and funding as the children and school districts in the suburbs and outlying counties. .Q: What do you think the voters responded to most about your campaign?
A: People in my district were thinking the same way as when they elected Mayor Nutter. They responded positively to a message of reform and a pragmatic approach to tackling the issues.
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Q: Senator Fumo didn't endorse you until after you had been declared the winner.
A: I guess he wanted to make sure I was a sure bet!
He’s pretty confident that we’ll win in the general election, but it doesn’t mean I’m not going to campaign!I intend to run a full-steam-ahead campaign. .Q: But you are going to take a break? Do you have anything planned? A trip to Italy?
A: I haven’t decided. First up, though, I'm having lunch today with my staff at noon. There'll be some time for plenty of get-togethers over the next few days.PA Primary Team reports:
Here are the winners tonight from state House and Senate races:
1st Senate District: With 96.5% of the vote counted, FARNESE, 43%, beats Dougherty, 38% and Dicker 19%.
172nd House District: With 100% of the vote in, COSTELLO, 57%, over Kearney, 43%.
179th House District: With 100% of the vote in, PAYTON, 61%, beats Lewis, 39%.
180th House District: With 93% of the vote counted, CRUZ, 55%, leads Ramos, 45%.
182nd House District: With 98% of the vote in, JOSEPHS, 60%, easily bests Banaszek, 25%, and Gormley, 14%.
184th House District: (As previously reported) KELLER, 60%, beat DiCicco, 40%.
186th House District: With 96% of the vote in, JOHNSON, 65%, defeats James, 35%.
198th House District: With 97% of the vote counted, YOUNGBLOOD, 56% over Davis, 44%.
Anne Dicker, 35, a grassroots progressive, followed far behind.
With Fumo holding up his arm boxing champion style, Farnese stood in the open outdoor cafe window of the Paradiso Restaurant in South Philadelphia to claim victory last night.
"It’s now official. I endorse Larry Farnese," Fumo said, sparking laughter.
"Tonight, this city took five steps forward," Farnese said. "Tonight we made another statement that Harrisburg will be reformed … and tonight we fought back corruption and old school politics in the city of Philadelphia."
"Tonite we turn the page of the First District," said Farnese, his parents standing nearby. "The torch has been passed."
Farnese’s victory probably could not have happened without Fumo, who dropped out of the race last month because of his impending federal fraud and corruption trial.
Once the senator left, his supporters — including City Councilmen Frank DiCicco and James Kenney — moved into the Farnese camp, offering guidance and money.
Although Fumo never came out publicly for Farnese, he lobbied for him behind the scenes, providing funding through a PAC he controls and getting senate colleagues to contribute more than $287,000.
Farnese, 39, campaigned as a reformer with a realist’s eyes, supporting gun control and universal health care, but also against Dougherty, labeling the electricians union leader opponent a "thug" and repeatedly calling attention to a federal investigation of his opponent.
Dougherty, for his part, sought to portray Farnese as Fumo’s puppet.
Farnese will face Republican Jack Morley in November and possibly Joseph Vignola, a Democratic former city controller and councilman who is considering running as an independent.
The First District extends from the International Airport to Port Richmond and Brewerytown and includes South Philadelphia and Center City.
Passions have historically run high in the district and fears they could be exacerbated by the longtime feud between Fumo and Dougherty prompted the non-partisan Committee of Seventy to dispatch a disproportionate number of poll watchers — 140 — throughout the First.
U.S. Justice Department also were on standby.
Tensions were high, but no serious incidents were reported.
During the day, lawyers for the Farnese and Dougherty campaigns went to court complaining about misbehavior at one polling the place or another. Without placing blame, judges issued generic orders barring whatever it was that prompted the lawyers to go court in the first place.
"When you have a competitive race like this, tempers flare up," Ward 39B leader Matthew Myers said outside South Philadelphia’s Murphy Recreation Center, source of at least two court orders. "We’ve got all kinds of complaints, most of them false."
At Farnese’s election night headquarters, a cheer went up about 9:20 p.m., when returns that had showed Dougherty in the lead, turned in their candidates fever.
About the same time, the crowd at Dougherty’s opulent bash at Galdo’s 20th at Street and Moyamensing Avenue became subdued as tension drifted through the huge ballroom.
It never got better and even news that the Flyers had won their playoff series against Washington was not sufficient to lift spirits.
Open bars, tables filled with food fit for an Irish and Italian wedding and hospitality tents outside attested to his campaign’s wealth.
Holographic images of Dougherty were even projected on the buildings exterior as crowds filled the street and traffic slowed to a crawl.
PA Primary Team reports:
With 95% of the vote in, the 1st Senate district race to replace Vince Fumo is over. Larry Farnese has claimed victory with 43%, besting John Dougherty's 38% and Anne Dicker's 19%.
PA Primary Team reports:
Here's how races across the state of Pennsylvania are shaping up:
In the Replacing Fumo district (1st Senate), Larry Farnese is currently in the lead with 43% over John Dougherty (39%) and Anne Dicker (18%), with 87% of the vote counted.
Also with 87% of the vote, the 179th House district results currently show Tony Payton Jr. solidly defeating Guy Lewis, 63-37%.
The upset of the night is the 186th House district: With 80% of the vote in, Kenyatta Johnson leads Harold James by a margin of 66-34%.
Also with 80% of the vote in for the 182nd House district, Babette Josephs with 60% is holding off both Peggy Banaszek and Bob Gormley with 25% and 15% respectively.
The 184th is over: With all votes counted Bill Keller has soundly defeated Christian DiCicco, 60% to 40%.
PA Primary Team reports:
Is there an upset brewing in the 186th district State House race?
With about a third of the vote counted, Kenyatta Johnson is pulling ahead of incumbent Harold James. Johnson has 66 percent of the vote to James' 34 percent.
Meanwhile, Larry Farnese is holding his own against John Dougherty to replace Vince Fumo, with Farnese taking key parts of Center City.
More to come...
PA Primary Team reports:
There's a Daily News slide show by Alejandro A. Alvarez of the goings-on earlier this afternoon at the Famous Deli, where local powerbrokers gather for lunch every election day.
Michael Matza reports:
4 pm
Continuing a long-standing A large crowd of supporters wearing T-shirts and holding placards met Dougherty at the door. He said he was nervous but optimistic and predicted that a victory for him would be a “win for Joe Average.”
Inside, Dougherty worked the room from end to end, never sat down, and had only some sips of iced tea. When asked why he wasn’t eating, he said: “I’ve been living on bottled water, Vitamin C and chapstick.”
Gar Joseph reports:
Gov. Rendell was at the Famous deli for the usual election-day power lunch, and sounding positive about his candidate's chances -- but more positive if all of the state's counties vote.
The guv said that, if the turnout is even through the state, Clinton will win by 6 to 10 points.
If turnout is heaviest in the Philly burbs, Clinton wins by 4 to 6 points, Rendell said.
He was one of many boldfaced names at the traditional gathering, which also included State Sen. Tony Williams, Register of Wills Ronald Donatucci, District Attorney Lynne Abraham and State Rep. Bill Keller.
And who wasn't there? The State Senator who is likely to see his replacement elected today.
Vince Fumo and his cronies were down on Passyunk Avenue, at the Paradiso.
The Inauguration: Jan. 20 blog brings you coverage of President-elect Barack Obama's transition into office.
It's written by political journalists from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Send us your comments -- and news tips -- at this address.
Thomas Fitzgerald joined The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2000, and has covered Harrisburg as well as city, state and national politics for the newspaper. He was a “boy on the bus” in the 2004 presidential campaign and during primary contests in 2000 and 1996.
Nathan Gorenstein has covered politics and government in the city, state and nation for the Inquirer. He's worked in the city hall bureau, had a stint on the business desk, and once covered the suburbs. After serving as assistant regional editor, he was named editor of the "Politics" web site.
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