Rodney Dangerfield candidates get no respect

Earlier this year two Republican candidates for Congress complained they were getting no love from Republicans.  One of the candidates, Michael Livingston, was so frustrated he dropped out of the race. Livingston was challenging entrenched Congressman Chaka Fattah in PA-2.  Livingston blamed the local, state and national parties for not supporting his effort. A similar tone was heard from PA-13 where Marina Kats is challenging Allyson Schwartz for the Montgomery County seat. Kats also announced she was not happy with the support she was receiving from the parties.

It's a complaint you hear often, sometime in the press, sometimes in the bar over a night cap. Some candidates, Republicans and Democrats, don't and will never get the support of other candidates. It is a matter of priorities. Every candidate thinks they can win, but a neutral outside observer will often have a much better persepctive of the realistic chances of a candidate's chances. An outside observer can look at the political landscape and see it is almost impossible for Livingston or Kats to win their seats. It is not a knock against the candidate as much as an observation of reality. And as long as there is a limited supply of finances in a political organizations coffers there will always need to be priorities made on which campaigns to spend those resources on.

Kats has stated this week she is more satisified with the support from the local party she has been getting lately. Montgomery County Republican Chairman Bob Kerns had told PolitickerPA the party will get behind all Republicans. What Kats, Livingston and other candidates are learning is there are degrees of "getting behind."