McGinty, Fetterman, Shapiro hit airwaves

Pennsylvania U.S. Senate candidates Katie McGinty and John Fetterman have released new TV ads — McGinty (above) focusing on gender pay equity and protecting social security, and Fetterman saying that as a gun owner, he supports sensible gun regulation.

The McGinty spots plays off the statistic that women make 21 percent less than men in Pennsylvania. While the video shows women in white- and blue-collar jobs, McGinty says, “she handles as many customers, puts out as many fires, meets as many deadlines, not 21 percent less.”

McGinty ends the spots with the same slogan as her last commercial: “It’s your turn.”

Fetterman, the mayor of the struggling town of Braddock in western Pennsylvania, seems to be trying to connect with Pennsylvania gun owners (there are many) while advocating a policy the NRA hates.In the ad, Fetterman lays his Smith and Wesson 500 on a table, then holds it with the cylinder open, and says, “I don’t understand why we in this country don’t advocate for sensible gun control.”

Attorney general’s race heats upMeanwhile Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro has released an ad in his campaign for attorney general, which is being shown for now in the expensive Philadelphia media market.

In the spot, Shapiro casts himself as a reformer who stood up to the status quo as a state legislator and “stopped their perks and pushed for reform.” He says he’s fought for reform and marriage equality as a county commissioner, and he notes that he’s endorsed by Gov. Tom Wolf and former Gov. Ed Rendell.

One of Shapiro’s rivals in the Democratic primary, Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli held a news conference Monday charging that Shapiro had taken large campaign contributions from companies that got county contracts which Shapiro voted to approve.

The Shapiro campaign countered that the county awarded contracts under rules that guarded against conflicts of interest. The Shapiro campaign also suggested Morganelli is running “a kamikaze campaign” that’s really aimed at harming Shapiro on behalf of a third Democratic candidate, Allegheny County District Attorney Steve Zappala.

I can’t sort this out here, but we’ll have more on all this as the race develops.

Brian Sims survives challengeAnd state Rep. Brian Sims, who was running for two offices before deciding to quit his congressional campaign and focus on his current job, has survived a ballot challenge.

Two rivals who’d filed legal challenges against his nominating petitions have withdrawn those cases after all sides went over the signatures in hearings.

That puts Sims, a well-known incumbent, in a strong position to win renomination in April and re-election in November.