The answer ranges from “some” to “not much.” There is not necessarily any carryover between this race and next year’s mayoral contest, but the fact that Obama won Pittsburgh but lost Allegheny County should tell us something, no?
On the other hand, this presidential primary is in many ways unique, with no likely carryover. College students helped make Tuesday’s turnout about 20,000 voters more than the November 2007 mayoral election’s. Even if many of these newly galvanized voters gave a rip who Pittsburgh’s mayor is, many dorms will be cleared out by the time next May’s primary rolls around.That said, Mr. Peduto thinks this kind of coalition could swing the mayor’s race.
“It isn’t uncommon for young or more progressive areas to team up with the African-American community in supporting a [mayoral] candidate,’‘ he said.
Peduto has no black support
The so-called “progressive” Bill Peduto has never shown support in black areas of Pittsburgh in his mayoral runs. Further, when the treacherous Peduto all-but-endorsed the Bill Scranton Republican (Mark DeSantis) in last year’s general election for mayor, it was black areas that voted most heavily for the Democrat (Ravenstahl). Peduto is definitely correct about more progressive white areas tending to vote in tandem with black areas, it’s just that he is mixed up about what the progressive white areas are. The working-class white areas where voters still have union attachments vote more heavily Democratic (and therefore more “black”) than the wealthier white areas that Peduto calls “progressive.” These latter areas — parts of Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, for instance — were the stomping grounds of “Democrats for Roddey” in 1999, while the working-class white areas were not. Black areas were of course the most strongly anti-Roddey of all.
Roddey worked hard in the Black Church Communities
Hi,
Forget Chicago’s Rev. W and B.O. for the moment. Jim Roddey worked hard with the black ministers when he ran and when he ran for re-election. He was often at banquets and events in speaking capacities.
So, I don’t think the black voters were “Anti-Roddey” too much. But, it just goes to show the long, long road that non D candidates have to go to get those votes to land somewhere else.
But, by and large, I agree. Peduto, as a non-endorsed Dem, will have a nearly impossible task of getting a majority of the votes in the black communities. But, then again, Luke R is doing a good job at messing things up in general.
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