Pennsylvania Democratic Party offers no endorsement in Senate race

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party is offering no endorsement in the state’s 2022 Senate race following a vote on Saturday.

During a meeting in Harrisburg, no candidate in the race received sufficient votes to clear the necessary threshold of two-thirds of the committee’s 350 members, The Associated Press reported.

Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.) received the most votes, with 60 percent, according to the AP.

He had worked for months to win the committee’s endorsement, per the wire service, calling members repeatedly and sending them mail pieces.

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) won 64 votes and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D) 42 votes, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

“No endorsement means no change in the existing trajectory of this campaign,” J.J. Balaban, a Pennsylvania-based Democratic strategist, told Politico on Saturday. “Given that John Fetterman has a substantial lead in the polls and the most money in the bank, he benefits the most from no one being endorsed by the state Democratic Party.”

The Pennsylvania seat is being vacated by Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who has represented the state in Congress since 2011. With the Senate currently evenly divided, the race promises to be a high-stakes one. The Democratic primary will be held on May 17.

Fetterman, a progressive, and Lamb, a centrist, are the two current front-runners in the race.