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CityAndStatePA .com
January 2022
EDITOR’S NOTE
Editor-in-chief
JARED GRUENWALD
JENNY DEHUFF
A RECENT EPISODE of HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” that aired last month reminded me of our January issue, which highlights the state’s top political operatives and explains how they manage to spice up the bland nature of campaigning in 2022. Without spoiling it for you, “Larry Gets Political” from Season 11 features Larry David wading into political waters – but only for his personal gain. He cozies up to a Santa Monica City Council person only because he realizes she has the power to change a local ordinance to his advantage. Larry wants to win her favor, so he does something totally out of character. Despite having zero interest in politics, he agrees to stump for the mayoral candidate she supports – going even so far as canvassing his neighborhood and wearing a campaign pin that he secretly despises. The timing of my watching the show juxtaposed perfectly with the publication of this magazine. As we watched Larry knocking on doors, handing out political flyers and trying to woo his neighbors with bloated campaign promises, we might’ve thought Larry taped the scenes in 2019. Because, really, who does that anymore? I posed the question to Neil Deegan, a managing principal at Rittenhouse Political Partners, which touts itself as the largest women-owned political consulting firm in Pennsylvania. Deegan says his biggest challenge since the start of the pandemic has been trying to fundraise virtually. “When people were really looking for connection the first few months of the pandemic, it was not hard to get people to come to a Zoom event because it was something different – it was something to do,” said Deegan. “Now that we’re back to doing this almost two years later, it’s kind of tough to get people to want to come and engage in a Zoom when they already have – how many a day?” For most people, the novelty of virtual events has largely worn off. Many are still missing the feel of real engagement that comes with an in-person setting. “A lot of times, when you have a question, you’re typing it into the chat box. You’re not getting that personal, one-on-one conversation,” Deegan said. Our cover story explores what campaigning is like in the age of COVID – when people are reluctant to open their homes for fundraisers, meet-and-greets take place over a screen and the elbow bump has replaced the handshake. We also tip our hats to the top 50 political consultants in the Keystone State, each of whom has put their clients in promising positions to win elected office or has already guided them to victory. We’d be remiss not to point out that three people on our list sit on our advisory board: Samuel Chen, Ray Zaborney and Tricia Mueller. Happy (campaign) trails, everyone.
