Livingston drops out
of battle with Fattah
Campaign Bits
By Tom Waring
Citing a lack of support from the local and national parties, Republican Michael Livingston last week dropped out of the race in the 2nd Congressional District.
Livingston, a Cheltenham resident and professor at Rutgers-Camden School of Law, was running an uphill race against Democratic Rep. Chaka Fattah.
Nevertheless, he weighed in on various issues. Just a day before he ended his campaign, he issued news releases supporting a non-partisan redistricting process and backing John McCain over Barack Obama for president, calling the Arizona senator a "doer who has devoted his life to real, effective reform at times when it was not popular."
In abandoning the campaign, Livingston cited several slights. He was not invited to an event at the Union League, located in the 2nd district, hosted by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, that offered support to local candidates.
In addition, he was frustrated by failures to meet with ward leaders and the lack of Republican committee people at polling places during the April 22 primary. He was unopposed in the primary — an election dominated by Obama’s race against Hillary Clinton.
"I drove to ten different polling places in Philadelphia and didn’t see a single Republican at any of them," he said. "A visitor from another planet would have assumed that there was a Clinton Party and an Obama Party with no Republicans at all."
Livingston criticized the National Republican Congressional Committee for spending $1 million on a special election in Louisiana but not providing him with even a weekend of candidate training.
Also playing a role in his leaving the race was the challenge of running in a district made up largely of blacks expected to vote for Obama. Livingston was not comfortable with the focus on Obama’s middle name (Hussein), Obama’s controversial former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Obama’s refusal to wear an American flag pin.
Livingston did thank party bosses Mike Meehan of Philadelphia and Bob Asher of Montgomery County for their efforts. He also credited a western Pennsylvania blogger, Steve Maloney.
"If bloggers ran the party, we’d be in much better shape today," he said.
Republicans will be able to replace Livingston on the ballot. The district includes much of North and West Philadelphia and the Northeast neighborhoods of Lawndale, Northwood and Frankford.
U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-13th dist.) had strongly backed Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, but she has thrown her support to Obama now that the New York senator has ended her campaign.
Schwartz said she was proud that the Democratic Party featured a woman and a black man who attracted widespread support.
"I fought hard for Hillary Clinton in the primary, and I will fight just as hard for Barack Obama to ensure that we win Pennsylvania and win this election," she said.
Schwartz has asked all of her supporters to back Obama.
The congresswoman believes Obama would make health care available to all Americans and lead a "strong and secure America."
The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties has endorsed Democrat Brendan Boyle in the 170th Legislative District race.
The group consists of faculty and coaches at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities.
Laura Statler, the organization’s director of government relations, said Boyle earned the nod, in part, because of his leadership on a bill that would give full scholarships to state universities to any high school student who maintained a 3.0 grade-point average and a 90-percent attendance rate.
Boyle, who faces Republican Matt Taubenberger, already has the backing of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 5 and the building trades unions.
Both candidates are seeking to replace Republican Rep. George Kenney, who is retiring after 24 years. Boyle lost bids to unseat Kenney in 2004 and ’06. Taubenberger is an aide to the incumbent. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com