Pa. Supreme Court race long on name recognition

Voters may know the names of three candidates for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but probably not as famed jurists.

Dwayne Woodruff was a Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback for 13 years. Kevin Dougherty's brother is union leader and Philadelphia political player John "Johnny Doc" Dougherty. David Wecht is the son of forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht, renowned for investigations into the deaths of Elvis Presley and JonBenet Ramsey.

In Tuesday's primary, the name may be the thing that gets them votes.

Wecht, a Superior Court judge, said it would "not be credible" to deny that his name is an asset, but the Yale graduate from Allegheny County added that he was highly recommended by the state bar association and endorsed by the Democratic Party.

The other candidates with familiar names, both Democrats, also have burnished resumés, but in the quest for the high court, names, money, endorsements, and luck can trump quality.

"Voters don't have a clue who these candidates are," said G. Terry Madonna, director of Franklin and Marshall College's Center for Politics and Public Affairs.

There haven't been so many court vacancies at once since 1704. Last year, former Chief Justice Ronald Castille retired, and scandals pushed out two other justices - Joan Orie Melvin and Seamus McCaffery.

The candidates to replace them tout their integrity and ethics, and collectively have raised a little more than $4 million in campaign funds. Millions more could be spent before the general election - which troubles some watchdogs.

"There's just something wrong with a system that practically requires the campaigns of judges to solicit huge campaign contributions and seek political endorsements from groups and individuals that could very well come before that judge once elected," said Lynn Marks, executive director for Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts, an advocacy group.

The election stands to change the character of the now-Republican-leaning court. The seven justices could play a role in redistricting after the 2020 census, as well as potentially hear cases related to the death penalty and fracking. The Supreme Court also establishes rules that govern court process at every level in the state.

Three from each party will run in the general election for 10-year terms. Many candidates are struggling to be heard in a campaign that doesn't draw nearly the attention of a Philadelphia mayor's race.

Among those seeking to break through to voters is Superior Court Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen. Like Wecht, she hails from Allegheny County and also received the highest recommendation from the bar association.

She helped found detention-diversion and drug-treatment programs through the court and participated in a mentoring service for parents. She comes from a family of blue-collar Democrats in Western Pennsylvania and became a Republican because she felt her antiabortion stance was not tolerated in her former party.

"I am who I am," Allen said. "If you ask me a question, I'm going to tell you the truth."

But she lacks ties to big law firms, she said, and her campaign has raised only $23,094, the second-smallest sum in the race. Dougherty has more than $1.1 million. Fellow Republican Mike George has $524,942.

"It's a sad commentary when you can be elected strictly upon your name recognition and not your record, not your background in the legal position," Allen said.

The race remains largely out of view in part due to the nature of judicial campaigns in Pennsylvania. Candidates are not allowed to talk about how they might decide cases. so a fixture of elections, the campaign promise, is out of bounds.

There are no hot-button social issues this year like those that have drawn public interest in the past, Madonna said. Just being first or second on the ballot, something determined by lottery, can determine a victor, he said.

Candidates tout their endorsements, but none is more important than the party's, experts said.

"It helps provide money, materials, mailings," Marks said. "They help get the word out, and that's really important, since that's money raised by the party."

The Democrats endorsed Dougherty and Wecht. Republicans endorsed George, an Adams County judge; Judy Olson, a Superior Court judge; and Anne Covey, a Commonwealth Court judge from Bucks County.

Though party support helps, there is only one way to reach a lot of voters at once - television.

Federal Communications Commission records show almost $1.5 million has already been spent on TV advertising by seven candidates, Pennsylvanians for Modern Courts reported Wednesday. Dougherty spent more than $685,000 on TV ads. Wecht's campaign devoted more than $221,000.

Like Allen, Jefferson County Common Pleas Court Judge John Foradora lacks name recognition, but he also lacks the advantage of her familiarity to voters in Pittsburgh, which along with the Philadelphia metro region is where the lion's share of votes will be found.

"I'm spending every moment I have generally in Pittsburgh or Philadelphia," said Foradora, a Democrat from Northwestern Pennsylvania. "Trying to meet people, shake hands."

Unlike Allen, Foradora has raised a significant sum, nearly $500,000, including $100,000 of his own money. He has spent at least $118,000 on TV ads.

Two weeks ago, the TV ads began. Wecht's first focused on his ethics plan to, among other things, ban gifts for judges and tighten the rules preventing nepotism in court appointments. It ended with the candidate arm-in-arm with his familiar father, Cyril.