We are entering a new political period in our country and commonwealth. Both the Republican and Democratic parties in Pennsylvania are reflecting deeply on how and why they let voters down in the 2024 elections.
Although it is obviously not entirely his fault, Republican House Leader Bryan Cutler, R-100, accepted responsibility for his party’s failure to retake the chamber. With a landslide victory in the Senate, Congress, the state treasurer, the attorney general, and the auditor general, Republicans had enough to celebrate.
However, it is encouraging to witness a political figure take charge, take accountability, and hand off the reins to future leaders. Cutler deserves praise for his commitment to collaborate with Rep. Jesse Topper, R-78. In addition to promising to cooperate for the sake of Pennsylvanians, both men joined PennLive’s Battleground PA last week and promised to work with Democrats to foster a more polite and cooperative environment in the state house.
An electorate weary of party squabbling that accomplishes nothing for the common good will find solace in those remarks. It takes two to tango, of all, and the Democratic side hasn’t changed anything thus far.
State Sen. Sharif Street, the chair of the state Democratic Party, was invited by PennLive to speak on Battleground PA on the Democrats’ poor showing in the 2024 election, but he was unable to make the time.
Although Christopher Kowerdovich, a member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee, and Rogette Harris, the chair of the Dauphin County Democrats, attended, they were unable to provide many answers regarding why Kamala Harris lost Pennsylvania and why their party was unable to rally enough voters to retain even a seasoned senator in office.
With the exception of Erin McClelland for state treasurer and Malcolm Kenyatta for auditor general, Rogette Harris can claim that the majority of Democratic candidates for the major positions won in Dauphin County.
However, the state party’s results are not particularly impressive. Power brokers are determined to hold onto their positions, and the Democratic Party leadership has not yet shifted. No state official has taken ownership of their election failures, and no one has volunteered to step aside to make room for new ideas. The situation in Philadelphia has gotten rather violent.
FILE – Malcolm Kenyatta, a Philadelphia state senator and Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate, talks during a breakfast hosted by the Centre County Democrats at the Mountain View Country Club hotel on Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Boalsburg, Pa. In what may be the party’s best chance to gain a seat in the sharply divided U.S. Senate, the front-runners for the Democratic nomination in Pennsylvania’s open seat will square off in their first live-televised prime-time debate. (File: Marc Levy/AP Photo)AP
Longtime Philadelphia Democratic Party Chair Bob Brady has been charged by the Harris campaign of trying to defraud them of their money rather than carrying out his duty of mobilizing voters. Four years ago in Philadelphia, President Joe Biden received an estimated 45,000 more votes than Kamala Harris.
Brady has been urged to resign and accept accountability for the party’s utter defeat in the 2024 elections. To now, however, Brady has blamed everyone else, including Kamala Harris’ campaign.
On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, following the presidential debate in Philadelphia, Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a watch party at Cherry Street Pier. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin for AP)
Democrats, who appear to be stuck with the same old, powerful party leaders who continue to use harsh, divisive tactics that alienate voters, are not helped by any of this. They will keep losing races they ought to win unless they make a change.
Democrats in Pennsylvania ought to learn from Representative Cutler. He made the right decision by resigning so that the Republican party might be strengthened by fresh ideas and new leadership. He has gained the respect of both Pennsylvania people and his colleagues as a result.
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