Several media reports on Wednesday indicated that “heavyweight” Democrats were urging Steve Cickay, state senate candidate for the 10th district, to drop out of the race.
Credit: Steve Cickay’s Campaign
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports former Gov. Ed Rendell is among those urging Cickay to drop out of the race so former congressional candidate Shaughnessy Naughton can run against incumbent Republican State Senator Chuck McIlhinney. If you recall, Naughton lost in to Kevin Strouse in a close May primary.
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“I am in this for the long haul,” Cickay said Wednesday morning.
The rumblings of discourse in the race started earlier this week and have been the talk in local political circles.
“I have to admit, there have been some rumblings lately from some of the losing Congressional campaign staff. I can understand how some of her passionate supporters want her to continue after losing such a close Congressional race to Army veteran Kevin Strouse. I’m told that she was offered the opportunity to run for State Senate last fall, but declined, which then led to a divisive Congressional race. That was her judgment. After a loss, it’s sometimes hard to let go,” Cickay said in a statement sent to LevittownNow.com.
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Cickay’s detractors point to his poor fundraising performance. According to James McGinnis of the Intelligencer, Cickay raised only $6,490 compared to McIlhinney’s $112,895.
Furthermore, when the Senate Democrats polled the race they found McIlhinney holding a 50% to 34% lead over Cickay.
Credit: Jeff Bohen/LevittownNow.com
Cickay, a 59-year-old Newtown resident, has been actively campaigning for several months. He is outspoken on the issues of raising minimum wage and education.
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John Cordisco, chairman of the Bucks County Democratic Committee, told the Inquirer Cickay was the candidate at the moment.
Naughton, a 35-year-old Point Pleasant native, received the backing of Rendell in her primary run against Strouse, who beat her by several hundred votes.
A note of interest is Cickay endorsed and campaigned for Naughton in her bid to become the Democrat to face Republican Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8) in November. Shortly after Strouse was declared winner of the primary, Cickay visited Strouse at his campaign headquarters on Mill Street in Bristol to congratulate him.
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This is the second time Naughton’s name came up in connection to this state senate race. It was rumored in the early spring Democrats were asking her to leave her race with Strouse to take on McIlhinney for his state senate seat.
The 10th district covers Falls and Tullytown along with several towns stretching from Lower Bucks County to Upper Bucks County.
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Publisher/Editor Jeff Bohen contributed to this report
