Philadelphia Daily News (PA)
 
April 28, 2004
Section: LOCAL
Edition: 4STAR
Page: 10

 
Lucien's son ousts Horsey in 190th
Blackwell capitalizes on family name in rare rout of House incumbent
ERIN EINHORN & BOB WARNER warnerb
@phillynews.com

 

I

STIER & BRYANT VS. YOUNGBLOOD

 

Ten-year incumbent Rosita Youngblood dispatched two opponents in her Germantown-Mount Airy district. With 97 percent of the vote counted, she had a 655-vote lead over West Mount Airy Neighbors leader Marc Stier. Latrice Bryant, an aide to Councilman Wilson Goode Jr., was a distant third.

 

T'S NEARLY impossible to beat an incumbent in Pennsylvania House races, but if you're going to do it, here's what it takes - a famous political name, support from a former presidential candidate (Jesse Jackson) and a well-organized campaign.

 

This formula lifted Thomas W. Blackwell, 45, son of the late City Councilman and U.S. Rep. Lucien Blackwell, to a Democratic primary win over five-term incumbent Michael Horsey.
Despite spirited challenges against nine other Democratic incumbents, it appeared the rest of them would survive primary opposition - even 80-year-old William Rieger, going after his 20th two-year term in Harrisburg and holding onto a razor-slim lead over Rafael Collazo.

 

BLACKWELL VS. HORSEY

 

With 95 percent of precincts reporting last night, Blackwell was leading Horsey by more than 700 votes in the 190th District, covering most of West Philadelphia and part of North Philadelphia.

 

Horsey, 51, who has held the office since 1995, said he was saddened to lose but acknowledged that he had not had much energy for the campaign.

 

His 31-year-old son died on Christmas Eve of a heart embolism. "I'm just bent out of shape," Horsey said. "I thought I was doing an adequate or significant job providing services to people and getting things done . . . Maybe this will allow me to have some time to get myself together."

 

RIEGER VS. COLLAZO et al.

 

After 38 years in the state House, Philadelphia voters almost pushed Rieger into retirement against his wishes. The Inquirer ran a damaging series of stories about Rieger's not living in his district, renting office space from one of his aides and casting "ghost" votes in Harrisburg by tampering with his voting switch.

 

But he might survive. A late surge of votes gave Rieger a 126-vote lead over Rafael P. Collazo, the strongest of three challengers. Collazo supporters questioned some of the vote counts in areas where Rieger ran strongest, especially the 62nd ward. "We didn't see ourselves losing those areas as lopsided as it shows," said Rudy Lopez, a consultant to the Collazo campaign. "We're going to consider all our options . . . We're definitely not conceding."

 

JOSEPHS VS. HOHNS & GILLEN

 

Two challengers had collectively raised more than $300,000 to unseat Babette Josephs from the Center City and Gray's Ferry House seat she's held for 20 years.

 

Both challengers worked hard to cast Josephs, 63, as an old and tired incumbent who no longer fought aggressively for the needs of the district.

 

But when the votes were tallied last night in the Democratic primary for the 182nd state House district, Josephs was the winner with 42 percent of the vote, compared to 36 percent for 25-year-old investment banker Andrew Hohns and 22 percent for economic-development expert Terry Gillen, 48.

 

"The 182nd district is not for sale," Josephs said last night. "The voters are not for sale. I'm not for sale. We've proved something here about the lack of power of money when you have a good candidate who runs a good campaign . . . These people had a lot of money, and they were playing a lot of hardball."

 

KELLER VS. SQUILLA

 

In South Philadelphia, state Rep. Bill Keller cruised toward his seventh two-year term, handily winning the Democratic nomination over challenger Mark Squilla, 41, a Democratic committeeman who had criticized Keller for working too closely with the Republican House speaker, John Perzel.

 

Keller had a margin of nearly 2,000 votes with 97 percent of the ballots tallied.

 

BALLEN VS. LEDERER

 

A ballot challenge that nearly ended Sheila Ballen's campaign couldn't stop her. But besting a 12-year incumbent with a well-known political name and big-name supporters proved too daunting a task for Ballen, 38. State Rep. Marie Lederer took 62 percent of the vote in the 175th district, which runs along the Delaware River from Queen Village to Port Richmond.

 

Lederer, 74, faces a Republican opponent in the fall, Greg Mester Jr. Members of the Lederer family have held the seat since 1948.

 

KITCHEN VS. BROWN

 

State Sen. Shirley Kitchen, 57, lined herself up for a third four-year term, resoundingly defeating Jesse Brown Jr., 47, executive director of the National Association of African-Americans for Positive Imagery, for the Democratic nomination. After winning nearly 90 percent of the primary vote, Kitchen will face Republican Patrick John Carroll in the fall.

 

Kitchen and Brown had disagreed on Gov. Rendell's plan to permit slot machines at Pennsylvania race tracks. Kitchen said she supported the plan as long as it guaranteed reductions in local property or wage taxes. Brown opposed the gambling expansion, predicting it would raise costs for law enforcement and poverty problems.

 

WILLIAMS BISHOP

 

VS. TONEY-MOORE

 

Rep. Louise Williams Bishop, going after her ninth term in Harrisburg, turned back a challenge from Deborah Toney-Moore, who runs an after-school tutorial program. Bishop took 85 percent of the primary vote.

 

THOMAS VS. CLARK

 

State Rep. Curtis Thomas breezed past challenger Law-rence Clark, winning 78 percent of the vote in his North Philadelphia district.

 

"I've been surrounded by good people, real good people," Thomas said last night. "They are the ones that did this. I look forward to going back to Harrisburg with renewed energy, renewed vision and renewed determination." He said he planned to focus on neighborhood transformation during his next term.

 

CARABALLO VS. SLONAKER

 

Among the tightest contests was the fight between two Republicans, hoping to challenge incumbent Democrat Angel Cruz in the 180th district. With nearly 97 percent of the vote tallied last night, Matthew J. Slonaker Sr., and Eva Caraballo were four votes apart. Slonaker had 159 votes, Caraballo 155. *

 

Illustration:PHOTO

ELWOOD P. SMITH/Daily News

 

Rafeal Collazo (center) mingles with supporters as he awaits results at campaign headquarters.

 

ELWOOD P. SMITH/Daily News

 

Thomas Blackwell IV and supporters celebrate his victory in Democratic primary.