The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) on Wednesday announced plans to make a “six-figure investment” in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court race, calling it “an election with long-term implications not only for the court but for the state.” There is,” he said. The legislature too. ”
republican candidate carolyn caruccioMontgomery County Civil Court judge is running as a Democrat. Daniel McCaffery, Judge of the Superior Court of Pennsylvania.the two are competing Regarding the seat left vacant on the state Supreme Court. judge max baer He passed away last year.
In the not-so-distant past, judicial elections typically took place with little attention, turnout was low, and spending was unremarkable.But in 2015, when Democrats won a majority on the state high court, this amount Expenditures exceeded $15.8 millionbroke the national record for state supreme court elections at the time (that record was expunged by Congress earlier this year). Wisconsin Supreme Court election with spending over $45 million).
And this year's contest attracted attention from far beyond the Commonwealth's borders. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court decided some very important cases in the last year alone. Select a new state legislative redistricting mapand the nation's No-excuse mail-in voting law. The court is expected to take up cases involving voting rights and reproductive rights in the near future.
DLCC spokesperson Abhi Rahman said the party wanted to prepare for the long term and acknowledged the party was struggling to do so. “We lost everything in the mid-2010s” as Republicans were building a strong field of candidates, he said. Recognizing that most laws are enacted at the state level, “Since 2016, he has introduced 180 bills.”
Democrats currently hold a 4-2 majority on the state Supreme Court, and justices serve 10-year terms. Three of the four Democratic justices — Christine Donahue, David N. Vechtand Kevin M. Dougherty — He is scheduled to be re-elected when his term ends in 2026.
Investing in state supreme court elections includes: Rahman said he is running a paid media campaign in support of McCaffery.
Rahman said the DLCC, which works to elect Democrats to the state legislature, has helped the party retain the Pennsylvania House of Representatives five times this year, most recently in the 21st District, which remained vacant. He added that Lindsay Powell, one of the “hot candidates,” won the seat. Due to the resignation of Sara Inamolato. Powell was sworn in on Monday.
Rahman believes this streak bodes well for November.
“One race doesn't tell the whole story, but trends do and we want to keep that trend going,” he said. “Our hunch is that voters will align themselves with Democratic candidates who protect fundamental freedoms.”
The DLCC is not alone in devoting significant resources to supporting Mr. McCaffery. Planned Parenthood PollThe political arm of the reproductive rights organization Planned Parenthood poured money into state advertising campaigns. This is the largest investment ever made in a state Supreme Court race. The ad criticized Ms. Carluccio's position on her reproductive rights and claimed that she had erased her reference to her previous position on abortion from her website.
Planned Parenthood's political arm ramps up advertising campaign focused on Pennsylvania Supreme Court race
Carluccio received the support of Republicans in the primary and is also backed by the PA Pro-Life Coalition and the Pennsylvania Pro-Life Coalition, which oppose abortion.
A spokesperson for his campaign told the Capital Star that Carluccio is not an activist judge and that although his website has been redesigned, Carluccio will not seek to legislate from the court.
“Increasingly, the policies that most impact our lives are decided by states,” said DLCC Interim President Heather Williams. “We believe that, along with state legislatures, state supreme courts from Pennsylvania to Wisconsin are critical to determining the future of our democracy. We are investing accordingly as we execute our long-term strategy.”
