After Pa. primary, it's pro-Trump GOP vs. progressive Dems

Wednesday, May 16, 2018
PA primary election recap
PA primary election recap: John Rawlins reports on Action News at 6 p.m., May 16, 2018

The pundits are already having a field day with the results of Tuesday night's primary election in Pennsylvania.

But this much is a certainty: the newly drawn congressional map in our area could have an enormous impact on what party controls Congress after the mid-term elections.

"The big takeaway is that this election in the fall is going to basically pit pro-Trump Republicans against progressive Democrats," said Terry Madonna of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College.

Democrats want a blue wave to take back Congress. Madonna thinks there are suburban Philadelphia and a Lehigh Valley districts that could aid that effort.

"In four seats that are going to be among the most watched in the country," he said.

There are women nominees in all four districts. In District 5, Delaware County, both the Democrat Mary Scanlon and the Republican Pearl Kim are women.

"I think woman have felt like it's past their day to have some representation," said Scanlon.

"I am happy to see that so many more women are running in Pennsylvania for political office, but that wasn't necessarily a factor in terms of a reason why I wanted to run," said Kim.

Scanlon believes the 2016 defeat of Hillary Clinton by Donald Trump was a wake-up call. She wants Congress to do its job.

"First and foremost is holding this administration accountable for some of the excesses that we have seen over the last couple years," said Scanlon.

Both say they believe they can bring more civility to politics. Kim, a former prosecutor, says she has worked with both parties in Harrisburg

"I was able to secure the first human trafficking conviction in the state of Pennsylvania. I worked with state legislators on both sides of the aisle to expand protections for victims," she said.

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