McGinty attended a fundraiser hosted by two Senators who lost their 2014 reelection bids, former Senators Kay Hagan and Mary Landrieu. While they may have lost their own races, that’s not stopping them from trying to buy influence in the Senate by bankrolling candidates like McGinty.
While it’s strange that McGinty would rather spend her time with Washington elites than campaigning with voters in Pennsylvania just two weeks before the primary, what’s stranger is the company she kept. Several of McGinty’s guests, Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Claire McCaskill, as well as Kay Hagan and Mary Landrieu, are all supporters of Simpson Bowles…the very same legislation that McGinty is attacking her primary opponent, Joe Sestak, for supporting.
Less than 24 hours after McGinty collected checks from Simpson Bowles supporters, she unleashed an attack on Sestak for his support of the same legislation.
McGinty’s own campaign Chairman, former Governor Ed Rendell, also supports the legislation. As reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, “…Ed Rendell has repeatedly praised the courage of lawmakers who embraced Simpson Bowles.”
It’s also worth noting, while Katie McGinty worked for the Clinton Administration, Erskine Bowles, who would later go on to co-author the Simpson-Bowles legislation, was McGinty’s boss while working as Bill Clinton’s Chief of Staff.
BACKGROUND:
In 2013, Kay Hagan Said “I Am A Big Believer In What Erskine Bowles And Alan Simpson Did On Their Fiscal Commission” And “We Need To Put Everything On The Table.” (Rob Christensen, “Sen. Hagan Says She’s Focused On Deficit And Jobs In 2013,” The News & Observer, 1/8/13)
- In 2012, Hagan Said She Was Proud Of Her Work Putting The Recommendations Of The Simpson-Bowles Commission Into Legislative Language. “Hagan said she is particularly proud to be part of a Washington D.C. group that features 10 Democratic senators and 10 Republican senators that is looking at the work done by the Simpson-Bowles Commission, also known as the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.” (Bryan C. Hanks, “Hagan Visits Kinston, Trenton As Part Of ‘Conversations’ Tour,” The Free Press, 8/25/12)
In 2012, Jeanne Shaheen Said “The Simpson-Bowles Commission Has Spelled Out, In A Bipartisan Way, Exactly What Hard Choices We Will Need To Make. I Believe That’s The Framework We Should Be Discussing.” (Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, “Shaheen Focuses On Economy, Bipartisanship At New England Council Luncheon,” Press Release, 6/22/12)
In December 2010, Mary Landrieu Signed A Letter Calling The Simpson-Bowles Report “A Courageous First Step In Tackling Our National Debt.” (Letter To Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, 12/3/10)
- LANDRIEU: “The Strong Bipartisan Support Its Recommendations Have Already Received Demonstrates We Can, And Must, Come Together To Solve This Impending Fiscal Crisis. Every Day That We Fail To Act The Choices Become More Difficult.” (Letter To Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, 12/3/10)
In December 2010, Claire McCaskill Signed A Letter Calling The Simpson-Bowles Report “A Courageous First Step In Tackling Our National Debt.” (Letter To Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, 12/3/10)
- MCCASKILL: “The Strong Bipartisan Support Its Recommendations Have Already Received Demonstrates We Can, And Must, Come Together To Solve This Impending Fiscal Crisis. Every Day That We Fail To Act The Choices Become More Difficult.” (Letter To Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell, 12/3/10)