McGinty and Toomey follow different paths on high-power support

As she seeks a U.S. Senate seat in Pennsylvania, Katie McGinty has rallied with President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Tim Kaine.

When Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren jumped into this year's Senate campaigns, their first stops were in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, respectively, where each gave McGinty their seals of approval.

And McGinty's campaign has a long list of additional headliners lined up for the rest of the race.

Her Republican opponent, Sen. Pat Toomey?

He's mostly rolling solo.

Until Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) visited Delaware County on Friday, Toomey had largely appeared alone or with less famous faces, such as cops, local GOP officials, and a Wawa executive.

His one-man act reflects the starkly different standings and strategies of the two candidates.

One, McGinty, is new to most voters and has tried to nationalize the race, linking herself to Clinton and Toomey to Donald Trump. The other, Toomey, has a longer track record and wants to focus on experience and local issues.

His limited supporting cast also shows how this tumultuous election year has left Republicans short of unifying national figures who can play in a blue-hued state like Pennsylvania.

"Given the Trump-engendered bitterness on the GOP side, the Democrats just have a much deeper bench for this type of thing," said Christopher Nicholas, a Republican consultant in Harrisburg.

The race is critical for both parties, with control of the Senate potentially at stake - one reason McGinty has scored such marquee help.

But while she basked in Obama's praise earlier this month - "she's going to do a great job," the president told an adoring Democratic crowd that packed Eakins Oval - Toomey has kept his distance from Trump, even as the GOP nominee zeroes in on Pennsylvania.

So when Trump rallied thousands of supporters in Aston, Delaware County, on Thursday night, Toomey wasn't there. Instead he showed up the next morning less than 10 miles away with McCain - and a crowd of maybe 100.

Toomey's surrogate options look more limited as he tries to appeal to moderates in a state that leans left in presidential years.

He likes Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, but the Republican vice presidential nominee comes with Trump baggage.

The once-popular Gov. Christie from neighboring New Jersey? He campaigned for Toomey in 2010, but his public standing has since plunged.

Sen. Ted Cruz, the Texan once loved by the right? He might do more harm than good with swing voters as he has both lambasted and said he would vote for Trump.

Other Pennsylvanians?

Toomey is the only Republican who holds statewide office.

Sen. Marco Rubio might help, but the Floridian has his own race.

Rank-and-file Democrats also tend to be more enamored of their party leaders than Republicans are, said Kyle Kondik, an analyst for the election forecasting site Sabato's Crystal Ball.

Before McCain's visit, the biggest presences to join Toomey on the campaign trail had been Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott - respected Republicans from South Carolina but hardly household names.

It's early, though, Toomey allies caution. The pace of events, and guest list, will grow. As a sitting senator, they add, Toomey has the stature to draw media attention on his own.

McGinty, by contrast, has never held elected office and has little campaign experience. Democratic allies can help introduce her to bigger crowds, raise money, and validate McGinty with the many voters who don't know much about her, said Lara Brown, who leads George Washington University's school of political management.

When Obama or Sanders laud her, it tells supporters that McGinty stands for the same values they do. "It gives her the sense that she is legitimate," Brown said.

They can also amplify a message. As McGinty attacked Toomey last week on banking abuses, the crusading Warren joined in. Toomey's emphasis on national security got a lift from McCain, a respected Navy veteran.

For McGinty, the big names also turn attention to the national debate as she tries to cinch Toomey to Trump.

Toomey has countered by presenting himself as "an independent voice," as his latest TV ad puts it.

Campaigning with establishment figures would undercut that message, said Democratic consultant David Dunphy, and remind undecided voters "that he's a Republican."

Indeed, perhaps the most important endorsements Toomey has landed have come from an independent and a Democrat: Groups founded by former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords both backed him, praising his support of tougher background checks for gun purchases.

Like vulnerable Republicans across the country, he has tried to divert attention from Trump by focusing on state issues, diminishing the need for outside help, Republicans said.

"As a senator from Pennsylvania, rather than a mouthpiece for the party, it makes a lot more sense to carry your own message," said Josh Holmes, a consultant and former chief of staff for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.).

Holmes agreed that high-profile Democrats can help McGinty but pointed to a downside: Republicans can pin her surrogates' weaknesses on her. It also helps the GOP paint McGinty as a rubber stamp, Brown said.

Before Sanders' September visit, Toomey jabbed, "Do Pennsylvanians really want a liberal socialist senator like Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, or a Katie McGinty?"

Democrats returned the favor Friday: The very immigration reform bill Toomey cites in ads attacking McGinty, they noted, was sponsored by McCain.

jtamari@phillynews.com

@JonathanTamari

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