WINNERS & LOSERS

Who was up and who was down last month

You know what they say, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. In this case, the month’s coming in strong for one lamb, Conor. Much like the end of the winter season, some officials are dealing with a cold and stormy political climate, while others are seeing clear skies ahead. And as we get closer to the primary election, things are only expected to heat up. Here are some people who are springing forward and others who could be in for a slow march.

CONOR LAMB

U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb has entered 2022 in a strong position. The U.S. Senate candidate came close to receiving the state Democratic Party’s endorsement last month, had more than $3 million in the bank heading into the new year, and this month, he earned the support – and financial backing – of a super PAC tied to political strategist James Carville.

WINNERS

OUR PICK

LOSERS

OUR PICK

SUSAN WILD

There are plenty of winners and losers this year, all thanks to the new congressional map picked by the state Supreme Court in February. One incumbent whose reelection effort just got harder is U.S. Rep. Susan Wild. The Lehigh Valley Democrat will be facing more pressure this cycle as her district now includes the conservative Carbon County.

THE BEST OF THE REST

DR. MEHMET OZ

The prognosis for celebrity physician Dr. Mehmet Oz’s U.S. Senate bid looks pretty good right now, based on a new poll from The Trafalgar Group on Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race. The survey found that 27% of likely GOP voters would support Oz in the Republican primary, giving him an 11-point lead over the second place candidate, Dave McCormick.

MARIA MONTAÑO

Maria Montaño made history last month after she was named press secretary for Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey. A former communications specialist for SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, she has experience helping workers across the state form unions. Now the first openly transgender press secretary for the mayor’s office, Montaño said that in this new role, she has vowed to “listen to everybody,” echoing Gainey’s promise to create a more inclusive city.

THE REST OF THE WORST

LEIGH CHAPMAN

The Department of State, led by acting secretary Leigh Chapman, was a noshow at a Senate State Government Committee hearing on election reforms last month. State Sen. David Argall, a Schuylkill County Republican, ripped Chapman for not engaging with the legislature. Argall said it was not a case of “government that works” but of “government that doesn’t even show up.”

MARK ORNSTEIN

Mark Ornstein was set to testify in February as a witness for legislative leaders in the state’s landmark school funding trial, but it was ultimately not to be after Dan Cantor, an attorney for the petitioners, pointed out that certain portions of Ornstein’s expert report were allegedly copied from other sources without citations, according to a report from LNP. Put another way, Cantor said they were plagiarized. Ornstein was eventually withdrawn as a witness from the case.

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Vol. 2 Issue 3 March 7, 2022

THE CONSTRUCTION POWER

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March 7, 2022

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