By Alex Roarty
PoliticsPA Staff Writer
roarty@politicspa.com
Democratic congressional candidate Doug Pike received the support of the Pennsylvania SEIU on Monday, an important labor endorsement in his primary battle against Manan Trivedi.
The news gives Pike’s campaign a boost after Trivedi received the backing of the Chester and Montgomery County Democratic Committees in recent weeks. Their endorsements were a sign that Trivedi has much of the local Democratic support in the 6th District, although Pike appears to have corralled the backing of many local unions.
Both men are vying for the right to take on Republican incumbent Jim Gerlach in the fall.
“We are excited to endorse Doug Pike as the best candidate to finally defeat Jim Gerlach,” said Eileen Connelly, Executive Director of the State Council, in a statement. “Doug is a strong, progressive voice for the working families of Pennsylvania with his focus on creating jobs and reforming our broken health care system. During his campaign, Doug has frequently stood side-by-side with our members and now we are proud to stand with him. When we endorse, it means something. We don’t do paper endorsements.”
Pike’s campaign touted the fact it has received endorsements or financial contributions from 18 unions so far, 15 of which backed the former Inquirer editorialist after Trivedi entered the race.
The primary between the two men is expected to among the state’s most competitive.
