Philadelphia Inquirer: Democrats Find Gerlach's Turf Slippery

Democrats find Gerlach's turf slippery

By Joelle Farrell, Inquirer Staff Writer

In a district leaning ever more to the left, that confidence swelled when Gerlach said he would not seek reelection. The lone Democratic candidate had already begun campaigning and would pour more than $900,000 of his own money into the bid for the party's nomination by the end of 2009.

Now that's all changed.

Gerlach, a four-term Republican, is back in the race after abandoning his run for governor. Doug Pike, who launched his campaign in April, has been joined by two other Democrats, a Lower Merion Township commissioner and an Iraq war veteran who has yanked away several of Pike's endorsements.

The backing of the Chester County Democratic leaders will be determined when they vote this weekend.

As Pike, a former Inquirer editorial writer, and the veteran, Manan Trivedi, wrangle over endorsements and snipe at each other, some Democrats worry that a divisive May 18 primary could drain resources, hurting the party in the fall.

With Gerlach back in the race, some political observers see last summer's optimism for Democrats dimming and now favor the GOP. But Democrats hope they can prevail in a district where 58 percent voted for President Obama.

But first they have to rally around a candidate.

"We should try to preserve our money for the fall and not beat everybody up in the spring," said Marcel Groen, head of the Montgomery County Democrats.

"Pike was the only candidate for a time, and it looked like it might even tilt to him," said John Kennedy, associate professor of political science at West Chester University. "And now he faces the challenge from his own party, and Gerlach is back. He has to get one of [the county party] endorsements."

The diverse Sixth Congressional District includes Main Line houses in Montgomery County, farmland in Chester County, and urban areas such as Reading, Norristown, and Coatesville. Chester County has the largest percentage of voters in the district, but Montgomery County has the most registered Democrats.

Drawn in 2002, the district is shaped somewhat like a crab, with its claws extending into Berks and Montgomery Counties, its body in Chester County. A small section of Lehigh County also votes in the Sixth.

Pike, 60, ended the year with more than $1 million on hand. He has portrayed himself as the only Democrat with the organization and the money to beat Gerlach.

"Jim Gerlach has got to go," Pike said Wednesday at a candidates' forum in Tredyffrin. "Imagine a fall campaign when we're not only well-staffed and well-funded, but we have a sharp contrast to tell between our candidate and their candidate."

Trivedi, 35, a Reading doctor who served as a battalion surgeon with the Marines in Iraq in 2003, has attacked Pike for self-funding, a typically coveted attribute.

"This race should be about deep experience, not deep pockets," Trivedi said at the forum last week. "In my opinion, we have enough millionaires in Congress."

Primaries tend to draw mostly party loyalists to the polls, so endorsements from party leadership can matter more. And Pike and Trivedi have been fighting intently for every one.

The fighting worries some.

A group of prominent Democratic fund-raisers recently met with Rep. Chris Van Hollen Jr. of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in a Center City law office. Several in attendance, noting Gerlach's reentry, expressed concern that clashes between Pike and Trivedi could hurt the party's chances in the fall.

"Van Hollen shrugged and said he couldn't do much of anything to stop it," said one participant in the private meeting who did not want to be identified. The situation is "frustrating," he said.

When Chester County Democrats endorse this weekend, it's expected to be a close race between Pike and Trivedi. Party leaders in Berks County, where Trivedi grew up, typically do not endorse in the primary, and Pike, who lived in Lower Merion until moving to Paoli last year, is considered the front-runner in Montgomery County.

Still, Trivedi might get some traction in Montgomery County. The third candidate, Brian Gordon, the Lower Merion commissioner, might draw from Pike's support there.

"Doug Pike is considered the favorite, but Manan Trivedi is an impressive candidate," said Groen, the Montgomery Democratic chief, who expects the party will endorse at a March 11 meeting.

Trivedi announced last week the support of an influential Chester County Democrat, Commissioner Kathi Cozzone.

"Commissioner Cozzone can carry a lot of clout within the Democratic establishment in Chester County," Kennedy said. "That's a real blow to Pike. If you're the front-runner and you're losing your endorsements, it's hard to portray yourself as the preordained candidate."

Pike released an endorsement of his own Friday: Wayne Burton, former Chester County Democratic chair.

"We feel very strong going in," said Pike spokesman Andrew Eldredge-Martin, who said Pike had "aggressively" gone after Chester County committee people. "We would love to have the party machine working for us, but we're comfortable with our level of grassroots support."