The White House Makes a Daring Endorsement in the PA Senate Primary

I don't have strong feelings about the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate Primary. I could vote for McGinty, Sestak, or Fetterman in November without reservation against Pat Toomey. Apparently, President Obama and Vice-President Biden have a strong preference:

“I am proud to endorse Katie McGinty to be Pennsylvania’s next United States Senator,” said President Barack Obama. “Katie is a true champion for working families, with a proven record of taking on big challenges and delivering for people. She spent her entire career working to promote clean energy and combat climate change, and worked closely with my administration to implement the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid coverage to more than 500,000 Pennsylvanians. I know Katie will take that same tenacity and drive with her to the Senate to ensure affordable, available heath care, to protect Social Security and Medicare, and to uphold and enforce Wall Street reforms.”

“Pennsylvania is near and dear to my heart, and there is no one better to represent its working men and women in the Senate than Katie McGinty,” said Vice President Joe Biden. “As the ninth out of ten children, the daughter of a restaurant hostess and a police officer, she knows what it means to work hard, struggle to make ends meet, and build a better life, one day at a time. Katie’s voice is sorely needed in the Senate to advocate for equal pay for women, a raise in the minimum wage, college affordability, and a quality education for every child. I am thrilled to endorse Katie McGinty because she’ll be there for Pennsylvania’s middle class families, day in and day out.”

It is quite a statement to have the President and Vice-President endorse McGinty. McGinty is losing pretty badly to Joe Sestak in primary polling. She needs to win the undecideds by a large margin, meaning they need to do a lot more than just a press release endorsing her. McGinty will need physical support, in the form of ads and campaign stops, from the White House.

I have no problem with the President and Vice-President weighing in on the next U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, both served in that institution and are probably following the race. What's daring isn't that they did this endorsement, but the perceived commitment that it brings to the race moving forward. Katie McGinty will have a tough road ahead to the nomination. The White House has married itself to driving her there.