Two House Dems to Face-off in Philly Mayoral Primary

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While there are no House seats up for election until next year, two Democratic reps. from Pennsylvania, Robert Brady and Chaka Fattah, have opted to face voters much sooner. Both are running for the open Philadelphia mayor's seat, a position currently held by the term-limited John Street. The primary battle will take place on May 15 and, given the city’s heavily Democratic lean (no Republican has been elected mayor since 1948), the winner will likely glide to election as Philly’s next mayor. In addition to Brady and Fattah, the race features three other Democrats: businessman Tom Knox, former Philadelphia City Councilman Michael Nutter, and Pennsylvania State Rep. Dwight Evans. A win by either Brady or Fattah in November would trigger a special House election to fill the remainder of the departee's term. According to Pennsylvania law, the governor (in this case, former Philly mayor and DNC chair Edward Rendell) would have to set a new House election within about two months of the mayoral general election.

The primary contest is expected to be competitive, something that cannot be said about either Brady or Fattah’s recent congressional contests. Brady ran unopposed in 2006, while Fattah defeated his Republican opponent, Michael Gessner, with 89% of the vote. In fact, since their first elections to Congress (Brady in 1998, Fattah in 1994), neither has ever received less than 80% of the vote. Whichever candidate(s) experiences the not-so-familiar feeling of defeat this spring will be able to fall back on not only a historically safe House seat, but also an influential committee assignment. Brady sits on the Armed Services Committee, while Fattah is a member of the Appropriations Committee. Some, in fact, believe a Fattah mayoral victory (and subsequent resignation and absence from the committee) could be disadvantageous to Philly in terms of federal dollars steered to the city.

During their primary battle, both Brady and Fattah have had to juggle their campaigns with their responsibilities in the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has instituted much longer work days and weeks this session. So far, Brady has missed three votes (or 4% of all votes) in 2007, while Fattah has missed ten (14%). Brady has introduced two pieces of legislation; one to establish a new Small Business Administration vocational and technical entrepreneurship program, and another to increase credit rating protections for military personnel activated for service. Fattah has yet to introduce any bills this session.

Recent history has not been kind to members of Congress who sought the job of big-city mayor. In fact, since 1993 each of the four House members who have pursued the office have been defeated. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) was beaten in Detroit in 1993, Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Ill.) was defeated in Chicago in 1999, Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) lost in Los Angeles in 2001, and Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) was bested by current New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2005. As Speaker Pelosi knows, however, success stories can be found if one delves a bit deeper into the past. Her father, Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr., was elected mayor of Baltimore while serving as a Democratic congressman in 1947.

Congresspedia has been tracking the Philly mayor race on both Brady and Fattah’s pages, so be sure to check them out and add new info if you have it.