A very interesting dichotomy played out in one of the key races in the county on Tuesday.
Barack Obama rolled to a big win, and along the way he was backed by the Philadelphia suburbs. Delaware County went for the Democrat. That’s now five straight presidential races the county has gone blue.
Not surprisingly, the city of Chester also went big time for the Democrat.
State Rep. Thaddeus Kirkland, D-159, swamped his Republican foe, Parkside borough council president Tom Deitman.
So some people wondered what this would portend for state Sen. Dominic Pileggi, R-9. The powerful leader of Senate Republicans faced a challenge from Chester activist and longtime educator John Linder.
The 9th District, for so long the home turf of the legendary Clarence Bell, is odd in itself. It stretches from Chester west across the exploding communities of the western edges of Delaware County, then spills across county lines into Chester County, rolling across the southern Chester County farmland before ending at the Lancaster County line.
Could Pileggi be in trouble if Chester residents, fueled by the Obama candidacy, simply went into the polling place and pulled the ‘D’ lever for a straight party ticket? And would that be enough to overtake his advantage in the rest of the district?
Didn’t happen.
Pileggi beat Linder by 11,000 votes, racking up 44,409 votes to Linder’s 33,750, according to unofficial tallies.
Pileggi lost in the city of Chester, but was buoyed by voters in other parts of Chester and Delaware counties.
Last night even Pileggi admitted it was tough sledding in what was a “hostile environment” for incumbent Republicans.
In the city, where Pileggi served as mayor before filling the seat created by the death of Bell, it was Linder on top, 9,547 to 4,662.
Pileggi pointed out that even though he did not carry the city, it’s clear a lot of residents split their tickets. He managed to win more votes in the city than Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
Pileggi now will turn his sights on the serious problems facing the state, including a massive budget deficit that will have an effect on every other issue in the state.