UPDATED: Conklin Endorsed By 17 House Members, Major Newspapers

STORY UPDATED @ 11 a.m. Wednesday: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has endorsed Conklin, as well.

STORY UPDATED @ 8:10 a.m. Monday: The Conklin campaign has announced endorsements from 17 state House members. The Philadelphia Inquirer has endorsed Conklin, too. Details below.

When Gov. Ed Rendell endorsed Philadelphian Jonathan Saidel for lieutenant governor last week, it didn’t perturb Scott Conklin, the Centre County Democrat said.

State Rep. Conklin, D-Rush Township, who also is running for the lieutenant-governor seat, said Rendell and Saidel have known each other for years. They worked closely when Saidel was Philadephia city controller and Rendell was the city’s mayor.

‘To have someone’s friend endorse him doesn’t bother me whatsoever,’ Conklin said in an interview with StateCollege.com. He said the people supporting his campaign ‘aren’t power players.’

‘My support comes from people in the streets, from people who can’t afford to buy influence,’ Conklin said.

The race for the Democratic nomination in the May 18 primary has become more personal the past few weeks, with sharp tension growing especially between the Conklin and Saidel camps. It intensified Tuesday, when Rendell, during a Philadelphia fundraiser, lauded Saidel’s record as city controller.

He said Saidel has the political and leadership skills to guide the state Senate, a key job of the lieutenant governor. Saidel has the financial expertise and background to help Pennsylvania work through its projected budget shortfalls, as well, Rendell said.

Saidel also has won the backing of the state Democratic committee.

But The Philadelphia Inquirer on Monday endorsed Conklin, saying that Saidel committed ‘ethical missteps’ while city controller. The newspaper reported that Saidel tried to ‘drum up city business for two law firms while in office.’

Earlier, on Sunday night, the Conklin campaign announced that at least 17 Democratic members of the state House have endorsed the Centre Countian. They include state Rep. Mike Hanna, D-Lock Haven.

In a news release, Conklin said he and those supporters have already enacted 31 reforms in Harrisburg, including an expanded open-records law and a ban on 2 a.m. votes in the Legislature.

‘They believe, like I do, that we have to stop the old machine politics from coming back and taking over,’ Conklin said in the release. ‘ … We are trying to keep the reform message going before it gets squashed out by the old-school politicians who want to keep things the way they are.’

Democratic committees on the county level have split between Conklin and Saidel, too. Conklin said the party organizations in Bedford, Centre, Fulton, Mifflin and Westmoreland counties, among other groups, have given him their formal endorsements.

Saidel counts endorsements or other support from the Democratic committees in 13 counties, including Allegheny, Beaver, Cumberland, Delaware, Jefferson and Montour, according to his website.

In some counties where the local committees have endorsed Saidel, Conklin said, he has been denied the opportunity to speak at party events. The practice isn’t uncommon. When the Centre County Democratic Committee held its annual Spring Brunch on April 24, Saidel was not among the candidates invited to speak, committee Chairwoman Dianne Gregg said.

She said the Saidel campaign had not responded to three prior inquiries from the local party, which sought information about his candidacy for the Centre County Democrats’ website.

When the Saidel campaign later tried to schedule a surrogate to represent him at the April 24 brunch, Gregg said, she refused. Local rules preclude campaign surrogates from speaking at such events here; only candidates themselves may speak.

Gregg said a Saidel representative threatened her over the no-surrogates rule. He told her that ‘I needed to think about what would happen to me after the primary,’ she said.

She said she interpreted that as a threat to harm her political future. A scathing note from the Saidel campaign was soon sent to the Centre Daily Times and The Daily Collegian, and a Saidel campaign representative showed up outside the April 24 brunch, Gregg said.

‘They chose to threaten me,’ she said. ‘The implication was that I should be afraid and be silent. I have chosen to speak out.’

Marty Marks, communications director for the Saidel campaign, said he has not spoken with Gregg about the alleged threat. ‘There were not threats made, nothing of that nature,’ Marks said.

He touted the endorsements that Saidel was won from statewide organizations, including the state Democratic committee. (Gregg said Saidel is the only lieutenant-governor candidate who sought an endorsement from the state committee. Former state judge Doris Ribner-Smith is the third Democrat running for the job.)

Marks said the Saidel campaign will continue to have a presence in Centre County, including through television advertising. He emphasized that Saidel has received support from the Pennsylvania branch of the National Organization for Women.

Conklin, who is running simultaneously to retain his state House seat, has cast himself as a pro-life candidate.

‘I can see why the chairwoman (Gregg) wouldn’t want Jonathan to become known,’ Marks said. ‘His positions and his strong history of progressive politics would appeal to a lot of Centre County voters.’

Gregg, however, said she has encouraged the Saidel campaign to share its materials with local voters, including through the county Democrats’ website and other literature. She said the campaign has yet to deliver any materials to the county party for local distribution.