Democrats will have another contested congressional primary in southeast Pa.
Physician and veteran Manan Trivedi will run for the Democratic nomination in PA-6, several Democratic sources told PoliticsPA. It will be his third attempt at the seat.
Lebanon County Democratic Committee Chairman Chris Tarsa said Trivedi would officially announce his bid on Tuesday.
“He will announce tomorrow,” Tarsa told PoliticsPA. He said he is backing Trivedi.
“We are looking forward to an open primary and I think we have two candidates with great skill sets. But I think Trivedi has the time and money invested with his previous efforts.”
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-Chester) announced in January his intent not to seek re-election in 2014, moving what had been considered a safe Republican seat into the top tier of competitive congressional races nationwide.
Trivedi ran unsuccessfully against Gerlach in 2010 and 2012, losing by 14 points each time. The district was made 5 points more favorable to Republicans during redistricting in 2011. It now comprises parts of Berks, Chester, Lebanon and Montgomery counties.
Trivedi made the rounds at Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee meeting last weekend. When asked at state committee whether Trivedi was considering another run, he declined to answer outright.
He did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday’s announcement.
Update: after PoliticsPA broke the news of Trivedi’s impending announcement, the candidate confirmed his plans to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Several Democratic leaders and operatives told PoliticsPA that Trivedi had informed them that he would be running again; one specifically stated that he recently conducted a poll in the district.
This reporter watched him have a beer with Mike Parrish, the other Democrat in the race for Gerlach’s former seat.
Also a veteran, Parrish graduated from West Point and spent 13 years as an Army aviator. Parrish, 50, is the CEO of Daleco Resources Corporation energy company in West Chester. He lives in Malvern and has three children.
This week he received the endorsement of Rep. Bob Brady (D-Philadelphia) and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi recently headlined a fundraiser for him.
A Democratic source said that internal polling showed a 40% to 40% tie between a generic Republican and Democrat in the district.
But Parrish has baggage in a Democratic party. He recently switched parties from Republican to Democrat. He gave $1,000 to Mitt Romney in 2012 and $2,000 to John McCain in 2008. Perhaps most damaging this cycle, gave $2,000 to Tom Corbett in 2010.
Update: Parrish commented on Trivedi’s entrance into the race.
“I welcome Manan into the race and I look forwarded to a spirited discussion about our ideas for creating more economic opportunities for the middle class. And I have confidence that voters in the primary will select the strongest nominee to ensure a Democrat wins this very tough district in November,” he said.
Trivedi, 39, served as a battalion surgeon in the U.S. Navy in Iraq. He lives in Birdsboro, Berks County with his wife and child. He works in the Pottstown Memorial Hospital. Republican map-makers drew him out of the 6th district by a few hundred feet in 2011.
He is no stranger to competitive primaries; he overcame Doug Pike by about 700 votes out of 42,000 cast in 2010. He ran as an unabashed progressive in both of his previous races.
The winner of the primary will likely face Republican Chester County Commissioner Ryan Costello in the general election.
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15 Responses
Didiano – Manny was for fighting global terrorism before he was against it. Manny supported TARP before he opposed it. I’ve heard Manny complains at the hospital about having to provide care to medical assistance patients yet extols the virtues of Obamacare. Hypocrite.
Barbara-
Ask Sestak to give up his foolish bid to be a one-term senator and run for the 7th instead.
Another voice from the 7th. Trivedi lost because Gerlach had a reputation of a moderate Republican( not reserved) so Trivedi lost some of the Democrats, who should have known better. But, before Gerlachannounced his retirement I suggested that the ,now. A 7 th district Trivedi be asked to run. Also, suggested to some county chairs that we get McGinty, or several state reps from neighborhoods, or a couple of County Commissioners. We have four counties to choose from. Why am I doing their job for them? We , in Delaware County have to live with the lack of trying of the party leaders inMontgomery and Chester and Berks counties .
Go Trivedi! You have the experience in your professional life, the practice runs in politics, and the personal qualities to win and serve well.
I often notice that when a Democrat loses an election they are considered “losers” but when a Republican loses they are called “experienced”. Trevidi has good name recognition, while Parish has none. Trevidi has an extensive resume, Veteran, Public Health Policy, Physician. And Trevidi put himself out there to run against a very popular incumbent after the Republicans redrew the district to ensure a Republican win.
We’ll see how the primary plays out, but most Democrats honor Trevidi’s prior attempts and will reward him with their support.
Ryan is no great shakes on the Republican side-first appointed to become Commissioner in a heavily Republican controlled county. What has he done in his life?? Why does everyone assume he will win?
Mike-
You could run. Nothing’s stopping you. 🙂
(Before you flip that back to me, my blogging history makes me unelectable, and my policy against taking bribes would make fundraising impossible. )
The GOP didn’t redistrict the 13th to target MMM who wasn’t on the radar. They targeted Trivedi.
They redrew the 7th to be unwinnable.
But, the rules are that you can run in any district, regardless of where you live in PA.
Everyone has a convenient excuse as to why they are running where they are running.
If I recall correctly, MMM’s excuse is the same one that Trivedi uses. Her house used to be in the district and was drawn out. Etc.
While I admit I am not a fan of Trivedi’s, I live in PA-07, and I find it upsetting that we still have no candidate considering a run.
Mike-
I figured you knew, but I was clarifying the point in case the other readers here didn’t.
The “problem” with Daylin is that he wasn’t in the 13th before the redistricting either, whereas the GOP specifically targeted Trivedi. So, I don’t consider their “outsider” statuses to be morally equivalent (despite technically equivalent).
Daylin’s running in the 13th because the 7th has 70,000 more R’s than D’s and the 13th has 120,000 more D’s than R’s.
I have no idea why MMM is even jumping back in the game.
I know he hasn’t moved; but that doesn’t change the fact that he doesn’t live in the district. Both MMM and Daylin live outside of the district they are running in too, and that hasn’t stopped people from mentioning their residency either.
Some people care about this stuff, and some don’t.
Mike-
I don’t know if K.H. who popped off an email to the Dem powers that be will follow through, so there “might” be a candidate. The district is so gerrymandered that Sestak is about the only Dem who could win it back from Meehan.
Daylin Leach lives in the 7th (but running in the 13th). He has the fundraising prowess to compete against Meehan. There is some debate about whether he would be viewed as too liberal or whether he’d be a refreshing change for voters over a bobble-head like Meehan.
As for Trivedi in the 7th… he hasn’t moved since 2010, but the PA GOP redistricted his house out of the 6th to create the illusion he was an outsider.
Lionel-
Please name a single position that Trivedi has taken that is not one of his core principles.
You’re once, twice, tri-vedi’s a loser!
Give it up, Manny. The voters don’t like you because you’re smarmy, stuck up, and will do/say anything for a vote. You have no core principles.
I appreciate that Brittany has identified Manan Trivedi as a resident of PA-07, which STILL has no Democratic candidate running this year.
Who do you support? The two-time losingest Democrat to ever run in PA-06, or a Republican claiming to be a Democrat?
Observer-
The DCCC made the same mistake in the 15th congressional district last year, backing a R-flipper over the Lehigh County Dem chairman.
I supported the Dem chairman Rick Daugherty with my VoterWeb system for robocalls/mailings and the Rick won the primary (despite a 10-1 financial disadvantage). Then, without any help from the party or the DCCC, Rick still managed to get the same vote percentage at the well funded candidates in the 6th and 8th districts.
Another example of the bean counters not supporting a viable candidate because he’s struggled with fundraising, when they could have help said candidate.
The DCCC needs to take it’s head out of it’s hindquarters.
Note to Chairman Jim Burn: please make sure the party does NOT support Parrish and supports the real Democrat.
Parrish wouldn’t even qualify for state-committee under the party rules for his support of Corbett and PA GOP, so why should state party give any support to him for a primary?
So let’s look at the scorecard: we have one Actual Democrat, and one opportunistic carpetbagger. So naturally, which one does the Washington Machine get behind? There is a REASON she is not Speaker now, and it has to do with the candidates she backs.