Democrats are concerned the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's setbacks due to unorganized leaders and a lack of financial support could affect the party's chances at success in 2024.
Liberal leaders are facing a rising possibility that the state Democratic Party will not be prepared for the road ahead, particularly as Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, will have a significant impact on the presidential race, a Senate race, and a state Supreme Court contest.
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Democratic strategists and candidates in the Keystone State have reported several displays of the party in "amateur hour," according to Politico. The state Democratic Party laid off many people in July, and one of its political action committees only had $7,500 in the bank as of early June.
“It’s concerning that the state party is laying people off as we’re heading into a really important Supreme Court race, which then leads into the presidential year,” said Mike Mikus, a Pittsburgh-based Democratic consultant. “They’re going to have to figure out a path forward to build their own fundraising operation, and it sounds like there’s a lot of building to be done right now.”
The party has encountered problems with national Democratic committees, including the Biden Victory Fund and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, over contracts needed to coordinate fundraising. While the contracts were completed, the process took longer than anticipated, frustrating national officials.
In September, the party plans to hold the Independence Dinner, a major fundraising event to honor former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell. However, the initial invitation's QR code to purchase tickets was broken. Other codes have since been sent out.
Most recently, eyes have warily turned toward state leaders as their competency has been questioned, particularly after thousands of cards were printed reminding voters to "Vote at Polls: Election Day Tuesday, November 8" despite Election Day arriving on Nov. 7.
Disorganization on behalf of the state Democratic Party could affect its ability to appeal to voters, especially in an election cycle in which Republicans are targeting vulnerable Democrats to flip the Senate and gain a larger majority in the House.
State party Chairman Sharif Street, despite facing heat within his party, has dismissed any concern that the Pennsylvania Democrats are losing ground. He said the party was recently allocated a $700,000 grant from the group democracyFIRST, which has allowed leaders to hire 20 organizers.
Street also pointed to the Pennsylvania Democrats' federal PAC, which has almost $200,000 cash on hand as of its latest filing, as proof of the party's stability. He said he had not heard of any complaints about the Independence Dinner's QR code and that the cards with the incorrect election date were not distributed to voters after Democrats caught the error.
Acknowledging the layoffs, he said they were in response to worries from national donors who believed staff numbers were too high after he retained staffers from the 2022 midterm elections, during which the Keystone State's Democrats swept the board.
“I really should have done some of that trimming back last December,” Street said, addressing the layoffs. “But they were people who had won so many elections. We have done things no other party did. And I couldn’t look at any of them in the face and say I wanted to let them go.”
However, despite his reassurance, some Democrats aren't convinced that Street is moving the state party in the right direction, particularly after the co-director for the campaign for the judicial election and a political aide from western Pennsylvania were laid off. The former could cause significant ramifications for the party's ability to sway voters in Pennsylvania's high court race.
Joe Corrigan, a Pennsylvania Democratic strategist, said he isn’t confident the state party will have the staff needed to approve mail for 40-plus candidates on the ticket next year.
“I don’t see anyone that can handle the level of speed and complexity and attention to detail needed to ensure that paid communications are put in front of voters in a timely way,” Corrigan said.
With a lack of staff comes a lack of fundraising opportunities. Democrats have complained the party is missing out on opportunities to bring in more funds, with some officials saying they have seen fewer emails since the party split from SB Digital, a digital fundraising firm.
Street said his strategy within the party has been successful, pointing to the 2022 midterm wins, during which now-Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) won the governor's mansion and now-Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) defeated Republican Mehmet Oz to solidify the Democrats' majority in the Senate.
“We’ve done things a little differently, and I know that may have ruffled some feathers with sort of the national chatterbox class,” he said. “They weren’t exactly excited about my candidacy for Chair for a lot of reasons.”
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“Politics is like sports,” he added. “We had a good record last year. We’ve been winning.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Pennsylvania Democrats' Communications Director Jack Doyle for comment.