Fumo faces unusual hurdles in primary

INQUIRER STAFF WRITER

In his 30 years in the state Senate, Vincent J. Fumo has faced primary opponents only twice before, and he beat each of them easily.

This year, he faces three challengers and is the only incumbent senator in the city who has been forced to fight for the Democratic Party nomination.

Behind Fumo's toughest-ever challenge is a belief that the powerful Democrat is especially vulnerable this year. And with some reason.

Fumo, 64, faces trial in September - just weeks before the general election - on a 139-count federal indictment charging him with corruption and fraud. Prosecutors allege that Fumo used his state staff and money from a neighborhood charity to support an opulent lifestyle and then orchestrated a cover-up after the FBI started asking questions.

His reelection bid also was complicated last week when he suffered a heart attack and had emergency surgery to put a stent in a blocked artery.

The dynamics of the race shifted on Tuesday, when the Democratic presidential fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama reached another standoff, making Pennsylvania a key battleground on April 22 and giving voters who might be expected to sit out a primary a reason to go to the polls.

Those voters, Fumo's opponents hope, might be more inclined to vote for a change.

Fumo, whose political skills are legendary, is showing no signs of giving up or that his health problems are anything more than a temporary setback.

Even from his hospital bed he was making calls about the campaign last week, said Ken Snyder, a strategist working for the senator.

While Fumo recovers, his opponents are gearing up their campaigns in what is considered one of the hottest primary races in the state.

Much of the heat has to do with the animosity between Fumo and electricians union leader John J. Dougherty, onetime allies who have been feuding for years, mostly through surrogates until now.

Dougherty formally announced his candidacy last week, joining Fumo, Center City lawyer Larry Farnese, and progressive reformer Anne Dicker in the race. Each is vying to represent the First Senatorial District, which stretches from Philadelphia International Airport to Port Richmond and covers Center City, Fairmount, Northern Liberties, and all of South Philadelphia, where the candidates either have roots or live.

The winner will face Republican candidate Jack Morley, who made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Fumo in 2004. Joseph Vignola, a Democrat who is a former city councilman and controller, also plans to run as an independent.

Last week, Dougherty launched his campaign at the South Philadelphia rec center where he played as a child, and which, the Fumo campaign is quick to point out, benefited from $500,000 in state aid, thanks to the senator.

Dougherty also comes to the race with a cloud over his head - the FBI has been poking around in his affairs, and an electrical contractor has been indicted on charges of making "illegal payments" to him.

He has not been charged with anything and last week he said that being investigated was part of the job for a union leader.

"There's nothing hanging over my head," he said.

Farnese has released a TV ad that only alludes to Fumo's legal problems but that makes specific reference to an FBI search of Dougherty's house.

Farnese challenged State Rep. Babette Josephs two years ago. He lost but made a strong showing. He was considering another run against Josephs this year but instead decided to jump into the Senate race.

Farnese's entry has prompted all sorts of speculation among political insiders.

One theory holds that he took the step to make it more difficult for Dougherty. Dougherty's campaign has even argued that Farnese is in league with Fumo.

"He's a stalking horse for Fumo," said Frank Keel, Dougherty's spokesman.

But another theory holds that Farnese could peel away support from Fumo among Italian American voters.

The Dougherty campaign is appealing a court ruling Friday that said Farnese had enough petition signatures to stay on the ballot, even though 22 pages of them were thrown out because they had numerous defects, including possible forgeries.

For his part, Farnese, whose ad stresses the theme of a "fresh start," has denied entering the race for any reason except to win and change the way business is done in Harrisburg.

Dicker - though not connected to party history as much as her opponents - is familiar with the political machinations of Fumo and Dougherty.

In 2006, she ran for the Democratic nomination for a state House seat against candidates backed by the two men. Dicker, an anticasino activist with a progressive background, finished second to the Dougherty-supported candidate, Mike O'Brien, who went on to win the general election.

An Ohio transplant, Dicker said she saw her base as including newcomers to the city and those tired of machine politics.

As an Obama supporter, she hopes the heightened attention on the primary will boost her grassroots campaign, which depends heavily on volunteers and has nowhere near the money that is available to Fumo and Dougherty.

Fumo, for his part, is running on his record of delivering for his district and the city - a record that Gov. Rendell has cited in saying he would endorse the senator.

Even before he was sidelined with a back operation on Feb. 19 and his subsequent heart attack, Fumo had been running a television ad asserting that the city has benefited to the tune of $8 billion from his efforts.

In Doughtery's first ad, Philadelphians from different walks of life speak of the candidate as a man who gets things done and who will be an agent for change. Fumo is never mentioned by name.

In a radio ad that started running Friday, Dicker sticks to the issues, highlighting her support for universal health coverage and noting she was running against "indicted incumbent Vince Fumo."