Letter: Focus on Pa. race for U.S. Senate

ISSUE | CAMPAIGN 2016

Focus on Pa. race

I find it strange that there has been so little coverage of the upcoming primary for U.S. senator from Pennsylvania ("Debate can impact Super Tuesday," Feb. 29). And stranger yet, that columnist John Baer called Democrats Katie McGinty and Joe Sestak unexciting candidates.

McGinty is a strong progressive who has worked hard for environmental causes in various government positions. Sestak, a former Navy admiral and progressive congressman, walked across the state (with little Inquirer coverage) to meet and talk to the people of our commonwealth.

I lobbied Sestak on education and foreign policy and found he knew more than I did. Both of them have good records. McGinty has party support. The party won't support Sestak (despite his close loss to Republican Pat Toomey last time) because he is too independent-minded.

I could live with independent-minded. I could also live with one less story about what Donald Trump said and more about our critical senatorial race.

|Janet Amighi, West Chester

Democrats' superdelegate system is unfair

While Democrats who believe in democracy must be heartened by our party's hard-fought presidential race, the system is rigged: our party's "superdelegates" get to decide the candidates in great disproportion to their numbers.

Through Tuesday's primaries in Michigan and Mississippi, millions of voters nationwide have elected 1,305 delegates, but 486 other individuals - superdelegates - get to cast their convention votes for whomever they wish.

This is wrong - there is no rational reason we Democrats should allow party bosses to have such power. In response, I'm asking Democrats to visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Democratic_Party_superdelegates,_2016 and urge superdelegates - at least those in your state - to vote for the candidate who has the earned lead at the July 25 opening of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Ultimately, we should abolish this unfair system - the Republicans don't have superdelegates. But for this election cycle, speaking up is our best recourse.

|Bill Dingfelder, Bala Cynwyd