McCaffery gets closer
to Supreme Court ‘dream’

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Seamus McCaffery was one of two endorsed Democratic candidates for Pennsylvania Supreme Court, but he faced a couple of obstacles in the four-person field.
McCaffery, a Superior Court judge from the Pine Valley section of Bustleton, had his name cut from many sample ballots in the western part of the state by supporters of fellow Superior Court Judge Debra Todd, who is from Butler County.
"I was still able to pull in a significant number of votes," he said.
In addition, Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed Darnell Jones and actively worked to help him win one of the two nominations.
The governor contended that Jones, president judge of Philadelphia Common Pleas Court, was eminently qualified. He argued that the Democratic State Committee should also have supported him because black voters have been so loyal to the party.
In the end, Todd placed first with 36 percent of the vote, not a surprise since she was the only woman and only western Pennsylvanian on the ballot.
McCaffery came in a strong second with 31 percent, finishing more than 187,000 votes ahead of Jones. Willis Berry, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, was last.
Rendell’s presence in the race did not prove to be a major factor.
"I was able to come out, not only with a win, but a huge win," said McCaffery, who partied at Colleen’s on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Todd and McCaffery will face Republicans Maureen Lally-Green and Mike Krancer. Lally-Green, a Superior Court judge, finished first in the GOP primary with 42 percent of the vote. Krancer, former chief judge and chairman of the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board, took 37 percent. Paul Panepinto, a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge, was a distant third with 21 percent.
In the race for two seats on Superior Court, the primary winners were Democrats Christine Donohue and Ron Folino and Republicans Cheryl Allen and Bruce Bratton.
The Democrats will count on the party’s voter registration advantage across the state and support from Rendell and hope for a high turnout for the mayoral race in heavily Democratic Philadelphia.
McCaffery, who has a campaign office on Byberry Road, is also hoping for crossover votes.
"Now all my Republican friends can come out and help me," he said.
McCaffery, who sometimes campaigns on his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, has a big following among fellow bikers. A colonel in the Air Force Reserve, he also picks up support from veterans. A former Philadelphia policeman, he gets the backing of law-enforcement groups.
In the primary, labor unions were focused on bringing out the vote for mayoral candidates. Since Democrats are expected to easily sweep all city races in the general election, union activity will turn to the competitive Supreme Court race.
"This time, it will be focused solely on me," he said.
McCaffery, a former administrative judge on Municipal Court, is well known in Philadelphia and the suburbs for presiding over nuisance night court and Eagles court.
However, candidates from Philadelphia often struggle to win statewide because their hometown is listed on the ballot, and some other parts of the state frown on the big city.
In the primary last week and the one in 2003 when McCaffery was nominated for Superior Court, he was the only one of seven Philadelphians to advance to the general election.
McCaffery, 56, has long argued for more regional balance on the court. Of the four statewide Democratic judicial candidates, he’s the only one not from western Pennsylvania.
McCaffery believes he has the credentials to complete the transition from beat cop to Supreme Court.
"That’s my dream," he said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com