Considering that the PA Senate race is likely to become one of if not the Marquee race This thread will examine all of the Contested Democratic Primaries in Pennsylvania From 2010 to 2020, so as to showcase the primary Dynamics in PA
First up are the 2010s we’ll begin with the 2010 Gubernatorial Primary. Democrat Tom Onorato was a Western PA politician and notably he was not the only candidate from Allegany, something which puts Democrats at a disadvantage, and as time passes that disadvantage grows bigger.
Next Up we have the 2010 LT Gubernatorial Primary, More competitive than the gubernatorial H. Scott Conklin a Western Politician essentially swept the center and won the west, but only eked out a victory to John Saidel who sweeped Philly and the Collars.
And the last of the competitive primaries from 2010 we have the famous(or infamous Sestak Vs Spekter Primary. Showcasing their Strength in D primaries Sestak Won the Primary while as he lost Dauphin Lackawanna and Philadelphia counties, in a non split field.
Next up comes the 2012 Casey Sen Primary, A route as Bob Casey was the incumbent the primary is won that best showcases PA’s Regional primary, as Casey’s Strength in the Primary wains the further from NEPA a county is.
In a prelude to future primaries the 2012 PA AG primary showcases the strength of Philly and the collars best, Here the NEPA candidate essentially sweeped the rest of the state and only eked out a win against the SEPA candidate.
Here is our Second Rout of the Thread, In a display of his strength Wolf going up against a crowded field(most from Montgomery Ct) won with 57% of the primary vote. Strongest in his native York county and strength waning the farther he got.
Concurrently with Wolf’s rout, controversial Philly Candidate Mike Stack concurrently won the Dem LG primary. He did not win solely on political acumen but because he was from philly against the rest of PA being split. TLDR: he was almost certain to win based on his home county.
Here we have the 2016 PA Sen primary that Saw Katie McGinty win what would ultimately be a doomed race as both her Hillary Clinton would go on to lose PA. This race is also notable for the introduction of the current LT Gov John Fetterman to the national scene.
Next up we have noted Field Clearer Joshua Shapiro, considered to be one of the PA Dems strongest if not their strongest candidate Shapiro certainly shows that in the 2016 AG primary. While he did not have a Wolf style route He still shows his political acumen in this map.
Here comes the penultimate map. By sweeping the west and remaining competitive in most places Former senate candidate, Mayor of Braddock and Allegheny Citizen John Fetterman won the LT Gov Primary. This race also introduced future auditor candidate Nina Ahmad.
Here comes the last map. What would become one of two statewide losses for Democrats in PA Nina Ahmad won the State auditor Auditor primary with 36.44% of the vote. She did this by attaining a major percentage of the vote from the collars and Philly against a divided field.
The main thread that can be seen through these PA primaries is regionalism. This can and is attributed to the fact that candidates have their home county listed on the primary ballot, making regionalism more defining than ideology in PA.