Democratic Senate candidate Katie McGinty announced Wednesday that President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden both have endorsed her campaign a month before the Pennsylvania primary.
The party establishment is coalescing around McGinty as she battles with Joe Sestak for the chance to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Pat Toomey as Democrats look to wrest control of the U.S. Senate back from Republicans.
Last week, McGinty won the DSCC’s endorsement after winning support from a cavalcade of Democratic heavy-hitters, including Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Tom Wolf.
In a statement, Obama called McGinty a “true champion for working families.” Additionally, Biden — a Scranton native — praised McGinty, saying her “voice is sorely needed” in the Senate to help middle class families, pointing to her work as Wolf’s chief of staff.
McGinty, a former aide to Bill Clinton and Al Gore, hopes the White House’s help comes at the right time as she currently trails Sestak in the race. According to the latest Franklin & Marshall poll, the former Navy admiral — who lost to Toomey in 2010 — leads with 31 percent to McGinty’s 14 percent.
In a statement, Toomey’s campaign was not surprised with the endorsement, arguing that Democrats across the board have found a “kindred spirit” in McGinty, who they call a “career insider.”
“It’s not surprising that every Democratic insider has found a kindred spirit in career insider Katie McGinty,” said spokesman Ted Kwong. “McGinty used the revolving door to profit on corporate boards, lobbied for a notorious D.C. law firm, and is reliably falling in line with liberal priorities like sanctuary cities and the reckless Iran Deal.”
Obama also announced Wednesday his endorsement of Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro, who is running attorney general in the Keystone State. Shapiro is looking to replace the embattled Kathleen Kane, who announced she would not be seeking reelection after a myriad of legal issues during her tenure.
The endorsement comes days after Obama also endorsed Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz for reelection to her congressional seat. The DNC chair is currently locked in a battle for her South Florida House seat with Tim Canova, a Bernie Sanders supporter who is running to her left.
