PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE: In her race for the Democratic nomination for governor, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz has considerable assets, but they’re often inseparable from her liabilities.
After establishing a women’s health clinic in Philadelphia, she served for nearly a quarter of a century in the state Senate and Congress, rising to a senior spot on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. She can legitimately boast of having the longest legislative track record of any of the eight candidates who have announced so far.
That has won her support from labor unions, fellow politicians, and feminist groups such as Emily’s List. At the same time, that legislative record offers a gold mine for opposition researchers combing it for any isolated vote that can be used or skewed as a lever to pry support away from her, or to negatively define her for the many voters who still don’t know her… (more)
