Holy crap, how did I miss this yesterday?!?

http://www.politico.com/...



Emboldened by a private primary poll commissioned by EMILY’s List, Schwartz has hired Obama campaign veteran Reesa Kossoff as communications director for her political operation and plans to open a state-level campaign account early next month, a source close to the five-term congresswoman said. The EMILY’s List survey, conducted by veteran pollsters Jefrey Pollock and Joe Hickerson, tested Schwartz in a three-way primary against state Treasurer Rob McCord and former Rendell administration official Tom Wolf, in a nine-way contest headlined by 2010 Democratic Senate nominee Joe Sestak, and in an eight-way field that does not include Sestak. In the latter survey, Schwartz led Sestak 18 percent to 15 percent with all other candidates finishing in single digits, according to a memo obtained by POLITICO that includes top-line results but not all of the data collected. - Politic, 3/28/13

Here's the poll they're referring to:

http://www.scribd.com/...

A few months ago, Schwartz hired Aubrey Montgomery, the juggernaut finance director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Schwartz now has a strong new member on her team in Reesa Kossoff as her new communications director. Kossoff ran regional press in Ohio for the Obama campaign, where she pushed the president’s bailout of the auto industry. Schwartz's candidacy has me excited because she has been hitting Corbett hard on the economy, mandatory ultra-sounds and Corbett's refusal to expand Medicaid in the state of Pennsylvania as part of the Affordable Health Care Act. Corbett's lowest approval ratings are with female voters and Schwartz has been proven by the Democratic Governors Association, EMILY's List and PPP to be a strong candidate who beats Corbett from 5 to 11 points. Schwartz could very well be the first female Governor of Pennsylvania and make Corbett the first incumbent to lose re-election since 1968.

Now, there are other big names like Treasurer Rob McCord and 2010 Senate candidate, Joe Sestak (D), who are also looking at the race but Schwartz has a big cash advantage. However, Sestak's op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette bashing Tea Party Senator Pat Toomey's (R. PA) remarks about welfare programs to me sounds like he wants revenge against the man who very narrowly beat him in 2010:

http://www.post-gazette.com/...



Yet from 1979 to 2007, the top 1 percent of households received a 300 percent increase in government benefits; those of the poorest 20 percent decreased by a quarter. It is doubtful that the wealthy were less incentivized to work because of their three-fold increase in governmental assistance; why are less fortunate Americans viewed differently? Leaders must address our debt and must reduce spending to make our future fiscally sustainable. But what we need is pragmatic discussion grounded on facts, not stereotyped characterizations of what drives different sets of Americans. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 3/26/13

"We all want to have a safety net that works for the people who need us, but we've had a huge proliferation of these programs, we've had huge expansions in eligibility for these programs. "We've had huge increases in funding for these programs, and the net effect now is that there are people who discover that the government will provide food, shelter, health care, education, transportation, cash, a very long list of all the things you need, as long as you don't work very much, you don't make very much," Toomey said. "It creates a huge economic disincentive." The comments come months after the GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, saw his campaign derailed by his own taped words about the "47 percent" of Americans "who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it." Toomey, a leading voice among fiscal conservatives, acknowledged that he was treading on a politically sensitive topic, one he said was prone to distortion. But he said government aid had grown so generous that beneficiaries have to increase their income "enormously to offset what you're going to lose in these benefits." - Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/6/13

Here's what Toomey said earlier this month:Schwartz is legally allowed to transfer her $3 million of campaign funds as DCCC finance chairwoman to her campaign for Governor. Pennsylvania Democrats are hoping to avoid a crowded and expensive primary because they are going to need all the resources they can get to beat Corbett.

Schwartz is socially liberal, a strong supporter of gay rights, gun control, the environment and abortion rights. She is also fiscally moderate and has a great ranking from the AFL-CIO. You can read about Schwartz here:

http://www.dailykos.com/...

Schwartz's connections the DCCC could help us pick up some seats in gerrymandered Pennsylvania and could help us win back some seats in the State Senate. I am very excited about this race and I hope we can avoid a nasty primary because Corbett is probably the worst Governor in Pennsylvania history and is a puppet for the Koch Brothers. Last year we made history by electing Kathleen Kane, the first Democrat and woman to the Pennsylvania Attorney General position and I want us to make history next year by electing Schwartz the first female Governor of the Keystone State. I'll have more on this race as more news develop.