Larry Farnese

Almost three months after a stunning loss in his bid for state Senate, powerful Philadelphia union leader John Dougherty suffered another political setback this week when a federal court struck down attempts by his union PAC to keep its spending secret.

The political wing of Dougherty's IBEW Local 98 had hoped to keep details of its $2.5 million spending from last year secret, and has been warring with the city's Ethics Board over racially-charged flyers distributed last year during last year's mayoral primary, in which Dougherty supported millionaire Tom Knox over eventual winner Michael Nutter.

Dougherty's electricians' union had argued that laws requiring disclosure of its spending violated the group's constitution rights. But Chief Judge Harvey Bartle III shot down that assertion as "patently inconsistent" with previous federal rulings on requirements for political action committee reporting, The Daily News reports.

The union is considering its appeal options. 

Preparing to defend himself this fall against a massive federal corruption indictment, state Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) said Friday that he would not return to the senate floor before his term ends, The Inquirer reports.

His announcement, made during a holiday session on the chamber floor, was not unexpected, as Fumo is marshalling considerable resources to fight the 139-count indictment. He is accused of, among other things, using taxpayer money for political purposes. He has denied any wrongdoing.

"I will miss it terribly. I spent half my life here and I spent it here with every fiber in my body," the 30-year incumbent said. "I've loved it, I've hated it. I've had great experiences and very sad ones."

Larry Farnse addresses voters at a potluck dinner: Politicker PhotoPHILADELPHIA -- Democrats here didn't know much about young Larry Farnese before they made him their nominee for state Senate in the 1st district in April. They knew The Inquirer had endorsed him as something of a lesser-of-two-evils option. They heard inklings that the indicted incumbent who wasn't seeking re-election, Vincent Fumo, was backing Farnese, a Center City lawyer. But that was about it.

So it's fitting that after stunning his favored opponent and now facing a general election far less competitive than his primary, Farnese has been ntraversing the district telling his story. Sunday evening, he brought his general election campaign to the Fairmount section of the district, an area that went heavily for Anne Dicker, his underdog opponent in the primary. The online blurb inviting people to attend the potluck where Farnese would talk alluded to how little voters know about him.

"If you are like me, you do not know much about him other than the sketchy things that appeared in the media and political circulars that appeared during the campaign," wrote Bill Sensiba, a retired political science professor who hosted the potluck. "We really should know more about the man who probably will be our next state senator."

Republicans who run for office in the staunchly Democratic city of Philadelphia are often called sacrificial lambs, providing their time to campaign even though registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than 5-1.

Now, in an election year widely expected to be a difficult one for the GOP, the outlook for Republicans in Philadelphia may be even more bleak. Democrats, incumbents and newcomers alike, are raising significantly more money than their Republican opponents. Some suburban seats may be up for grabs, but from state House races to bids for the U.S. Congress, Republican and Democratic analysts and consultants agree that most seats within the city proper are simply out of reach for Republicans.

"With the exception of a couple of wards in the northeast ... nothing short of a flat-out indictment or scandal is going to win for any Republicans," said Neil Oxman, a longtime Democratic consultant in Philadelphia.

Governor Ed Rendell has has long been considered a possible Veep candidate for Hillary Clinton.  Now more and more pundits are saying Barack Obama should give serious consideration of Rendell as a running mate.  Find out who joins Ed Rendell on the Winners & Losers list this week.

Senate District 1 Democratic candidate Larry Farnese has apparently gone more than $476k in debt during his primary against John Dougherty.  Farnese’s campaign spent an estimated $780k total during the primary of which more than half is in debt.  All for a $73,000/yr job.  My guess is Farnese is not a big listener of the Dave Ramsey show. 

An underdog Republican state Senate candidate is working hard to paint his Democratic challenger, Larry Farnese, as inerently tied to Vince Fumo, the indicted incumbent they are trying to replace.

“If you remember on [primary] election night, it was Vince Fumo holding up Larry Farnese’s arm in victory,” the Republican challenger, Jack Morley, said today. “It was Vince Fumo hugging Larry Farnese."

The guilty plea by a friend was the latest political setback for powerful union leader John Dougherty, who has seen the influence of his union wane and suffered his own loss in a run for state Senate last month.

The good news for Dougherty: There's no longer any need for him to testify and possibly open himself up for future prosecution.

Whether he recovers politically from his recent loss and his friend's legal troubles remains to be seen.