And they're off!
Now that the court has finally cleared the way for the redrawn Pennsylvania Congressional map to be in place for the May 15 Primary, there is no shortage of people getting in line to be Delaware County's next representative in Congress.
That person will represent the newly minted 5th Congressional District, which puts the entire county under one roof, along with a sliver of Montgomery County along the Main Line, and a portion of South Philadelphia.
Tuesday was the filing deadline for candidates to submit their nominating petitions.
The field has narrowed a bit this week, in particular on the Republican side, where many candidates are now stepping aside to clear the decks for the party's endorsed candidate, Pearl Kim of Radnor. She's a former county assistant district attorney as well as former senior deputy Pennsylvania attorney general.
Another formidable candidate, Clare Putnam Pozos, a former assistant U.S. attorney, actually got out of the race after having a conversation with Republican Party Chairman Andy Reilly before Sunday's nominating meetings.
Kim will still face a challenge in the Republican Primary from Paul Addis, a form er corporate commodity executive from Haverford, who originally targeted incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr.
The Democratic side of the ledger is another story.
Trust me, you're going to need a scorecard. As many as 15 candidates continue to jockey for the nomination, including two sitting state reps and the mayor of Chester.
Yesterday a familiar voice chimed in, with former Congressman Joe Sestak, who once held the 7th District seat, endorsing former Haverford Democratic boss George Badey.
There is also an interesting dynamic at play here.
For years Delco Democrats have wanted to get the entire county represented in one district. Instead, they saw many Democratic strongholds cut out and placed in the 1st District, which was firmly in the grip of longtime Philly Dem powerhouse Bob Brady.
Now the 1st is gone. So is Brady, who is not seeking re-election.
So is Rep. Pat Meehan, R-7, who opted out of another run after his problems connected to using public funds to settle a sex harassment complaint filed by a former staffer.
But the party now sees the possibility of a splintered Delco vote opening the door for a candidate from Philadelphia to snag the nomination. That would be Rich Lazer, a former aide to Mayor Jim Kenney.
You can get all the details on who is running here.
County Dem boss David Landau says now that all the filings are in, Democrats will meet and try to unite behind one candidate. Good luck with that.
And one other thing.
Don't fool yourself.
The court's ruling treated one symptom of the gerrymandering monster - this particularly egregious version of the congressional maps. But it did not slay the beast.
To do that it will be necessary to get this entire process out of the hands of politicians.
How to do so? It's on our editorial page.
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