Before we hear from Hillary Clinton tonight, we will hear from another woman looking to make a little bit of history of her own in terms of 'firsts.'
It is probably not an accident that Katie McGinty is getting a prime time speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention confab down in South Philly. While Hillary becomes the first woman ever nominated for president by a major political party, McGinty is looking to become the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania.
That's right, incumbent Republican Pat Toomey is simply the latest in a series of men who have represented the Keystone State in the Senate. We've never elected a woman as governor either. McGinty can testify to that. She pulled the plug on a short-lived bid to capture the Democratic nomination in our last gubernatorial race, getting out early as Tom Wolf used a huge TV advertising blitz to sprint out to an early lead he never relinquished.
McGinty landed in a comfy spot; she served as Wolf's chief of staff.
But she did not lose the itch to run for office, and quickly set her sights on Toomey.
That put her in the path of none other than Delco's own former U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who in effect never stopped campaigning after he lost a tight race against Toomey in 2010.
But Sestak had rubbed a lot of the Democratic party brass the wrong way when he snubbed their efforts to clear a path for party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter to snag the Dems' nomination. Instead, Sestak dug in his heels and does what he does best, work tirelessly. Sestak beat the party - and Specter - at their own game, before falling to Toomey in the general election.
The party brass did not forget.
Now you wonder if maybe they might be having second thoughts.
McGinty has had trouble gaining traction - and money. And she's been plagued by a series of embarrassing stumbles, like claiming to be the first in her family to graduate from college.
Then this week she really "bottomed" out.
She was caught on camera at a Democratic event referring to Toomey with a mild expletive. Think of your posterior, then spice it up.
"He's an a--hole, dammit," McGinty said.
She quickly realized this might not be a great idea when her party was condemning Donald Trump and Republicans for exactly the same kind of coarse speech.
She apologized for the comment, later noting it was "just a playful comment," while noting that she has a tendency to be a "little salty."
Tonight she will speak to Democrats from the stage at the Wells Fargo Center.
Probably not the time to be "salty."
McGinty should get used to hearing about that clip. My guess is she's going to be seeing it in her sleep in Republican commercials.
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