McGinty beats Sestak in Pa. Senate primary
Katie McGinty is projected to win the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, holding off insurgent Joe Sestak with the help of White House support.
The Associated Press called the race for McGinty at about 10:20 p.m. EDT. Polls closed at 8 p.m.
McGinty, a former chief of staff to Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D), will take on vulnerable Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) in November.
{mosads}She had been trailing Sestak in polls but closed the gap in the final weeks leading up to the Tuesday primary, even taking the lead in some polls.
McGinty’s last-minute surge was due in large part to endorsements from President Obama and Vice President Biden.
McGinty also received substantial financial support from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and EMILY’s List, an organization that backs female candidates who support abortion rights. The two groups poured millions of dollars of advertising into the state to support her bid and boost her name recognition.
The Democratic establishment rallied behind McGinty in the primary. Party leaders are still angry over Sestak’s successful primary challenge against then-Sen. Arlen Specter (D) in 2010 and eventual loss to Toomey by 2 points in a year of major gains for Republicans.
John Fetterman, mayor of a suburban Pittsburgh borough, and little-known challenger Joe Vodvarka also ran for the Democratic nomination.
McGinty will now square off against Toomey, who faces a tough reelection in the Democratic-leaning state that Obama won in 2008 and 2012.
But right now, the GOP senator sits in a comfortable position, leading McGinty in a poll earlier this month and holding a significant cash advantage.
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