Pa. governor backs former aide in Senate primary fight

by Ben Kamisar - 09/28/15 10:27 AM ET

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has endorsed his former chief of staff for one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats ahead of what’s expected to be a tight primary fight in a battleground state.

Wolf tweeted his support for his former aide, Katie McGinty, Monday morning using her campaign’s Twitter handle. The tweet ended with Wolf’s initials, a sign that Wolf sent the tweet himself.

“I’m endorsing @KatieMcGintyPA to be our next Senator bc she’ll be an incredible advocate for Pennsylvanians.”-TW http://t.co/SO1v70Z4qC

— Tom Wolf (@WolfForPA) September 28, 2015

{mosads}”I’m endorsing Katie McGinty to be our next U.S. Senator because I know she’ll be an incredible advocate for Pennsylvanians all across our commonwealth,” Wolf said in a statement released by the McGinty campaign.

The statement went on to cite McGinty’s work on the state’s budget and expanding Medicaid.

The move isn’t a surprise, considering that McGinty worked for Wolf as recently as July. But the endorsement underscores the institutional support that the former aide will have on the trail.

McGinty stepped down from her post in Wolf’s office to run, as Democrats began to question whether the party’s initial pick, former Rep. Joe Sestak, would be able to topple Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). The two squared off in 2010, with Toomey edging out a 2-point victory.

Earlier this month, Braddock Mayor John Fetterman announced that he too would run for the primary. Once described by The Associated Press as a “6-foot-8, bald, tattooed, Harvard-educated mayor,” he rose onto the national scene when news organizations covered his attempt to bring the suburban Pittsburgh town’s finances back on track.

Sestak said in a statement on Monday, “My hometown newspaper said it well: ‘Sestak is starring in … ‘Joe Vs. the Machine.’ ” I continue to believe that serving the people is what public service should be all about, not about being part of a political machine.”

–This report was updated at 11:15 a.m.

Tags Joe Sestak Katie McGinty Pat Toomey Pennsylvania