Yesterday, Attorney Candidates Josh Shapiro and Stephen Zappala gained the support of prominent Democratic leaders throughout the Commonwealth.
The support for Shapiro came from State Senator John Blake (SD-22) and State Representatives Mike Carroll (HD-118) and Eddie Day Pashinski (HD-121) as well as former State Reps. Jim Wansacz (HD-114) and Kenneth Smith (HD-112). Additionally, Attorney Todd Eagen threw his support in Shapiro’s direction too.
“I first met Josh Shapiro when we served together on Pennsylvania’s Tobacco Settlement Investment Board (TSIB) in 2008. I was immediately impressed and I came to know and respect him for his abilities and his moral compass. As we have learned over the past several years, our Attorney General must be more than a good lawyer, but also a good manager and administrator. We need Josh Shapiro as Attorney General because he has all of these qualities,” said State Senator John Blake.
“Josh will use every tool available to take on criminals and any powerful interest on the wrong side of the law no matter who or where they are in this state. The Attorney General has a lot of responsibilities. That’s why we need a leader with integrity and broad experience to partner with us – and that’s Josh Shapiro,” added the Senator.
Commissioner Shapiro also gained some union support from the Pennsylvania Nurses & Health Professionals.
“Josh has the integrity and experience to stand up to the powerful interests and make sure everyone gets equal protection under the law,” said PASNAP President Patricia Eakin, RN, BSN, CEN. “From cracking down on polluters who undermine public health to ensuring workers can do their jobs in a safe environment, Josh will be the people’s attorney.”
“I’m honored to have the support of nurses and health professionals who protect Pennsylvania’s patients every single day,” said Shapiro. “As Attorney General, I’ll fight to protect the people of Pennsylvania by protecting seniors from scam artists, enforcing our labor laws so that everyone receives equal work for equal pay and aggressively pursuing corporations that sell dangerous products.”
With this list of endorsements announced, Shapiro is comfortable enough to proclaim that he is the current front runner in the race for Attorney General. But, Commissioner Shapiro was not the only candidate announcing key endorsements yesterday.
Zappala
Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala gained the support of United Ward Leaders of Color as well as State Senator Anthony H. Williams (SD-8); Philadelphia City Council members Jannie Blackwell, Bobby Henon, Curtis J. Jones, Jr., Mark Squilla and Philadelphia City Controller Alan Butkowitz; State Representatives Jason Dawkins (HD-179), Rosita Youngblood (HD-198), Angel Cruz (HD-180), Ed Neilson (HD-174) and Mike Driscoll (HD-173).
The United Ward Leaders of Color is made up of African and American and Latino ward leaders and elected officials from approximately 20 wards in Philadelphia.
“Steve has a long record of protecting kids, improving communities and reforming our justice system,” said Williams. “For 18 years he’s been taking illegal guns and drugs off the streets, improving communities by prosecuting absentee landlords that permit hazardous housing conditions and using the latest forensic science to ensure police get arrests right the first time.”
“I am overwhelmed with gratitude for today’s endorsements and believe it is evidence of the strength of my candidacy across the Commonwealth,” said Zappala. “ I look forward to bringing my record of integrity and commitment to justice and fairness to the office of Attorney General.”
Earlier this week the Attorney General candidates participated in a forum held by the Philadelphia Bar Association.
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15 Responses
I don’t understand, Rollo.
Are you saying that one of the cops privately admitted that he pulled the guy over based solely on a hunch?
And how does that affect Zappala? Was that disclosure made to the DA’s Office that Zappala runs?
Ha…a cop’s private admission that Leon’s roust was based on a hunch, not probable cause, inter Alia. It will all soon unfold in federal court.
Rollo – what is the deal on the Leon Ford kid? What evidence did “Stevie” hide? I have heard many say that he is not the brightest bulb; but , if his ethics are also in question, he shouldn’t be AG.
We already have an AG with questionable intelligence who WE KNOW at least discussed committing a crime to get even with a political enemy (who knows if she went through with it).
I want a smart, ethical AG. Too much to ask???
bob – thanks for that bit of info on Shapiro. I agree that “honest guy” does go a long way. Not so sure that term applies to Zappala.
I am surprised to see that DA Zappala has such strength in Philadelphia.I wonder if it will translate into votes. At the least, I would expect that support would suppress a vote for SE politician (and not a prosecutor) Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro.
As a Rush Limbaugh Ted Cruz/Donald Trump Republican, it is apparent to me that the incompetence of the Gleason-Asher-DiGiorgio precludes any Republican from winning statewide elected office and, in particular, John Rafferty, the epitome of crony politician whose prosecutorial experience is minimal and whose management experience is nil, it should be obvious that the next chief law enforcement officer of Pennsylvania, a prosecutor, will be a Democrat.
Political corruption remains an issue and it seems to me that John Morganelli is most independent of the Democratic Party apparatus, has actual courtroom experience, and has managed a prosecutor’s office for many years. On the other hand, he does not have the organizational apparatus to run a statewide campaign as far as I know and I could be wrong. However, as long as he in the race, he draws more from Josh Shapiro than Stephen Zappala. It does appear, from the endorsements, that Stephen Zappala does have a statewide network of contacts and supporters.
Josh Shapiro reminds me of a Democratic Marco Rubio, very skilled at rhetorical utopias but with little actual accomplishment other than raising money and getting elected. Josh Shapiro is, to the best of my knowledge, is an honest guy and that is a big plus.
So…
I saw Rendell at the Packer Bar about 30 years ago in South Philly. They didn’t serve food, only hoes and alcohol. The beer was good if you got it from the bottle, same with the hoes. Rend ell had a lollipop then left with Fumo and Frank Rizzo, said they were going to the center city Sunoco to pick up a bag from Steve Senior…garbage, I guess.
The lists of contributors and endorsers of each keep providing more and more reasons not to vote for either of them.
Many of Josh’s detractors (along with detractors of Wolf and McGinty) seem worried about the Rendell mafia. 🙂
I don’t buy into the Rendell connections as much, since Rendell’s endorsement/backing track record hasn’t been that great to credit him with as much power as he often gets.
Open a brothel in Philly that serves good cheesesteaks and hoagies, and no one will ever see Rendell in public again.
Dave: save it for the classroom. Sometimes I’m just joshin’. It keeps the mafia from getting a clear shot while they scratch their asses trying to figure things out.
Rollo thomassey-
Zappala got something like 63% or 64%, barely missing the 66.6% cut-off.
Twelve more votes for Zappala would have gotten him the endorsement.
So, I’m not sure why you are taking “back everything” about state committee, considering how close it came to an outcome you didn’t want.
The result was a rebuke and an embarrassment andof Chairman Groen. His attempt to prevent an endorsement vote was a transparent effort to save Josh from losing an endorsement. The party voted strongly to have endorsement votes when Marcel tried to “suspend the rules. The objection, show by members standing in opposition, appeared to be 80% (by my visual estimation). This was the rebuke.
The embarrassment was due to that fact that none of the candidates reached the two thirds threshold. So, he could have just let the rules proceed, and gotten the outcome he wanted. Instead, he came off heavy-handed and had to be reigned in by the vast majority of the committee members present. This will probably embolden the members to chastise him more in the future for trying to control the outcome, rather than preside over the committee as it expresses its collective will.
There are two kinds of leaders:
1) Dictating their own will upon the membership
2) Nurturing the members to express the collective will
So, far, style #1 hasn’t worked out too well. A smart leader would take this as a hint and adopt style #2.
Saturday night: Zappala was just denied the state committee endorsement, not that it meant anything…except that the honest politicos are on to the whole scummy mob family and they can’t muscle their way to power anymore. Congratulates and thank you. I take back everything I ever said about the state committee…except for my comments about Zappala toady Jim Burn.
I wish who ever wins they have enough guts to stand up to Local 98 with Johnny Doc and his goons. Also maybe they should look into Councilman Bobby Henon collecting a paycheck for being a ghost employee for 98. Isn’t that an ethics violation for the city and state? He should be removed from office and locked up..
Like Elliot Howze-it-Hangin’? He was phony Fitz’s choice to destroy the County P.D.’s office, courtesy of Uncle Sala. Ha! After phony Fitz sold his soul to the devil, the devil resold it to the Zappala mafia. Check out the Wagner vote in the 13th ward. Phony Fitz still has his tennis shoes hanging over a power line at the far end of Kelly Street.now Zappala owns, owns him like they did Lurid Luke. They just paid with different kinds of jobs. I’m so sick wit’ it, it make we wanna feel like rap pin’.
“Eh’body bought
Eh’body paid
Now the peoples all lose
’cause they all afraid.”
Rollo: Black ward leaders have been bought thugs for decades. See how they all work a do-nothing govt job at City or County.
“Steve has a long record of protecting kids…”. Yeah, except for black kids, like Leon Ford, who he overly prosecuted after a bad cop roust and then hid evidence. United ward leaders of color…it should be RED. You have been bought off by the mafia and you embarrass yourselves. If Zappala gets even one black vote, it will be Uncle Tom. Do the right thing and be men, don’t take the dirty money…unless you want to be called the mob’s boys.