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PA-Sen: ATU Endorses McGinty

Katie_McGintyKatie McGinty won the support of another labor union this week.

The Amalgamated Transit Union endorsed the Democratic Senate candidate.

“We are proud to support Katie McGinty for United States Senate because she has been a true champion of public transit and a true friend of working families,” said Amalgamated Transit Union International President Larry Hanley. “McGinty understands that Pennsylvanians depend on public transportation every day to get to work, school, the doctor and other daily tasks. She has a proven record of problem solving and delivering for middle class families and will protect the right of workers to join a union. McGinty is the right choice for Pennsylvania.”

ATU represents 190,000 workers in fourteen Pennsylvania cities.

“I am honored to have the endorsement of Amalgamated Transit Union,” said Katie McGinty.  “For 25 years my father relied on the bus every day to take him to and from work to walk the beat as a Philadelphia police officer.  Like him, hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians rely on affordable public transportation every day yet Senator Pat Toomey has repeatedly blocked legislation that would adequately fund our transit system.  Pennsylvania deserves better.”

McGinty is running against Sestak and Braddock Mayor John Fetterman in the 2016 Senate Democratic primary. Incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Toomey is running for re-election.

13 Responses

  1. I am volunteering for Sestak’s campaign in the new year. My interest lies in getting Toomey out and a good Democrat in. The Admiral is the best candidate. The revolving door to riches is one of many problems McGinty has, and the Republicans have already made it clear they would be using this against her–as they should. Using her connections inside and outside of government (the revolving door) to profit handsomely is pretty low in my book. She is the establishment’s candidate (puppet/insider) and has no political experience except for her failures: Trying to become state party chair, governor, and Wolf’s 6-month employee. Not a good record. I believe these are all fair points, don’t you agree? She needs to start out a bit lower on the scale, such as City Council, or perhaps Congress. But to assume she deserved to be governor or now a U.S. Senator is a bit delusional.

  2. “McGinty’s revolving door to $$”

    Besides the fact I still think you’re a Sestak staffer, you make some fair points. But two things stand out in your argument which unsettle me:

    1. “Katie is an Insider with no experience” She served as a staffer to VP Gore and later an environmental policy adviser to Pres. Clinton. Along with her education, she does understand the nuances of policy-making and would most likely be a formidable statesman with knowledge of the law’s finer details. Saying she has no experience sounds like a forced political attack.

    2. “Sestak is the real problem for Toomey” For starters, I’m not sure I can buy this argument seeing how Toomey beat Sestak in 2010. Granted, it was 2010 (our worst year) and he only won by a few points, but this was an election where Sestak staked everything as an outsider (even provoking Obama–which is probably why he has voter recognition). Now, even though he’s not with the establishment, voters may not understand why the loser of the last race is running again. If he cared more about building substantial policy for Pennsylvania, rather than scoring a personal vendetta against his own defeat, wouldn’t it be more prudent to return to Congress as a House member? Or perhaps create a nonprofit? Open a soup kitchen? If Pennsylvanians rejected him in 2010, what’s to say they won’t reject him again?

    I still don’t know for sure which candidate I would vote for, but I think we should all scrutinize each candidate fairly and accurately on their ideas rather than give in to rhetorical ad hominem attacks. It does nothing to advance the conversation. It hurts the party. And most importantly it makes us look stupid.

  3. To GovRandall:
    If you Google-Wikipedia Joe Sestak, you’ll answer your own mis-informed notions. McGinty has been in the revolving door of government to corporation and back apparently seeking dollar bills. She has not been successful in any political venture. Due to her love of the fracking industry, her credentials as an “environmentalist” are damaged goods. But the biggest problem for Dems wanting to get rid of Toomey—McGinty simply cannot beat him even if the polls eventually show she can–Toomey is too clever and will figure out how to bring her down. Conversely, ADMIRAL Sestak presents the real problem for Toomey. And, Sestak has the best of both worlds–perceived as the OUTSIDER WITH EXPERIENCE versus McGinty–the INSIDER WITH NO EXPERIENCE. Sestak beat the whole Democratic establishment last time and since then he has done all his homework by going to all 67 counties several times. He has built up tremendous loyalty and people love a hard worker!! McGinty is simply a creature of TV ads and not much more–a very shallow shell who is a wannabe. She needs to learn to stick to something and last a more than just a few years in a job—and stay out of politics entirely. As a Dem, I want to win this time over Toomey. I am volunteering for the Sestak campaign.

  4. Why do all the Sestak lovers try and pretend this lady hasnt done anything??? He served the country and yes that is great and noble but the other stuff hes done doesnt show anythign that screams “qualified to be senator”. He doesnt play nice in congress and evveryone seems to hate him. Plus wasnt he demoted anyway??

  5. “Sestak will be a much better Senator, with a very wide range of experience” ??

    Seriously? Sestak thinks of everything as a military problem, which is why he’s a hawk for more war, and unable to understand domestic issues or treat his civilian employees as anything other than grunts. He’s lived in a bubble-world where orders are barked and obeyed, and might-makes-right. He knows zip about cooperation (and when running for offices refuses to work with his allies or outright betrays them).

    But, more importantly, he lives in Virginia and should be disqualified from running.

  6. Katie has little experience in most things.The puppet-master big-wig Dems are supporting her so that she dances to their tune. Joe Sestak can’t be manipulated, because he is very experienced and can think for himself. They are foolish not to back him if they want to beat Toomey.

  7. McGinty is the choice of the Dem. establishment. They are pushing the union leaders to endorse her. She is a novice. Toomey has the GOP money and establishment and his incumbency to beat her. Even if she wins in a Dem wave, she will be a tool of the establishment. Sestak will be a much better Senator, with a very wide range of experience, than either of them.

  8. Her great experience with unions- her Father took the bus to go to work. Electrical workers? She turned the light switch on when it was dark, and she cooked on an electric stove. She or a family member was ill, and a nurse made them healthy? Definitely, Food and Commercial workers. Well that is a given. She went grocery shopping and learned all about how the workers put the fruit in nice, shiny rows, and checked that there were plenty of turkeys before Thanksgiving.

    What experience does she have in Legislating and Defense, and selecting Supreme Court Nominees. When has she met with elderly or determined educational reform? How will she improve our health care and roads and bridges?

    She knows,about the environment and that is important, but it is a very small part of a Senator’s job.

  9. jmarshak

    We’d like some clarify as to why Toomey never has fought for the middle class.

  10. Would still love some clarification on exactly when McGinty did all this fighting for the middle class.

  11. Union bosses getting their arms twisted, again? Fetterman and Sestak are independent-but both support labor. Toomey won’t support labor. McGinty can’t beat Toomey, that’s the Democrat’s problem if they go with her!

  12. Labor Union endorsements in the 2016 PA Senate Race:

    Endorsed KATIE MCGINTY:
    -Amalgamated Transit Union
    -Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85
    -International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
    -Operating Engineers Local 542
    -Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals
    -Sheet Metal Workers Local 19
    -United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1776
    -United Steelworkers

    Endorsed JOE SESTAK:
    None

    Endorsed JOHN FETTERMAN:
    None

  13. Another Union endorsement for McGinty.

    What’s the score for Sestak? Still a big goose-egg.

    So, the questions are:
    1) Can McGinty pitch a no-hitter and shutout the other candidates be getting 100% of the union endorsements?

    2) Who will get a union endorsement first? Sestak or Fetterman

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