Margolies Readies Congressional Comeback #PA13
Former Rep. Marjorie Margolies will file papers to run in the open-seat Pennsylvania 13th District race to replace Democratic Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Margolies is the mother-in-law of Chelsea Clinton. But she’s also known for casting a tie-breaking vote to pass President Bill Clinton’s economic plan in 1993. That vote doomed her 1994 re-election campaign in suburban Philadelphia.
The former one-term congresswoman joins an already-crowded field for the primary. State Sen. Daylin Leach is running, as is state Rep. Brendan Boyle and Valerie A. Arkoosh. The current member, Schwartz, is running for governor.
Democrats expect Bill Clinton to get involved in congressional races this cycle, especially to support his most loyal backers — including Margolies. She is a former EMILY’s List candidate.
The 13th District is a safe Democratic seat, but lawmakers have redrawn its boundaries a couple of times since Margolies was in Congress.
In 1992, she won her first term in Congress by 1,373 votes. Two years later, her re-election was one of the most high-profile races of the cycle, grabbing the attention of The New York Times.
In 2000, Margolies briefly attempted to run for Senate. She dropped out of the Democratic primary to challenge then-Sen. Rick Santorum.