Margolies running for her old seat in Congress

Marjorie Margolies is ready to run again for the congressional district she held in the early ’90s, bringing some heavy backing to a contested Democratic primary.

 

Sources close to Margolies say she’ll file a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission tomorrow to run for the seat she held for one term. Margolies wasn’t available for comment.

Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz is vacating the 13th Congressional District seat, which includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia, to run for governor.

Margolies lost the seat in 1994 after casting a tough vote for President Bill Clinton’s budget. That cemented a political relationship that’s become deeply personal. Margolies’ son is married to the Clintons’ daughter, Chelsea. Muhlenberg College political scientist Christopher Borick said, in this race, that’s big.

“It’s hard to imagine a more important ally than the Clintons in terms of Democratic politics,” Borick said. “Having the Clintons campaign for you, to help you raise funds, to appear in ads for you, is a tremendous asset.”

Some see Margolies as a prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination in the heavily Democratic-leaning district.

But while she’s smart, likable and well-spoken, she’s been out of the political game a long time, and the district’s boundaries have changed a lot since she held the seat. Detractors say the Clintons may be reluctant to go all out for her if Hillary Clinton is planning a presidential run in 2016. Why make enemies among rival Democrats’ she might need down the line?

Margolies has substantial competition — physician Valery Arkoosh; Philadelphia state Rep. Brendan Boyle, who has the support of city Democratic chairman Bob Brady; and Montgomery County state Sen. Daylin Leach, who just got an endorsement from the United Auto Workers.

Ladies and gents, start your engines.