Three Things We Learned from Politico’s Profile of Allyson Schwartz

Three things we learned from this Politico piece about Allyson Schwartz:

• She thinks Pennsylvania is ready for a woman to serve as governor:

Meanwhile, Schwartz, a decade-long House member who ditched her safe Philadelphia-area seat for a chance to take on Corbett, is presenting her candidacy as part of a larger cause for women in a state with a paltry record of electing them. But she’s found herself in a dogfight for her party’s nomination, despite entering the primary as the nominal frontrunner.

“It wasn’t a long-term strategy of mine,” Schwartz, 65, said in an interview at her field office in northeast Philadelphia. “Although I think in some ways, it is the next step for women, to use our skills, to use our experience, to see ourselves as governor, and to take on that executive role. It feels like it’s time for us to do this.”

• She thought Philly Mag’s profile of her was kinda sexist:

A Philadelphia Magazine piece in December delved into some of those criticisms, turning to a mix of unnamed and named sources who present a view of Schwartz as someone primarily concerned with “buffing and shining her own image.” Some of the on-the record sources suggest, for example, that her claims to be the main visionary behind the state’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are overstated.

Others wonder, however: Would any of these issues — which have a familiar ring to them for many women in positions of authority — be coming up if Schwartz were a man?

“Many [people] ask the question: Could you really do this?” Schwartz says of her gubernatorial campaign. “I don’t think they would ask a man with my experience that.”

• She thinks she can still win the Democratic nomination, despite Tom Wolf’s 25-point lead:

But huge numbers of voters remain undecided — 33 percent in the most recent poll — and Schwartz and national Democrats have expressed confidence that she can catch up to Wolf.

“The most important thing for her to do now is to present herself as a credible alternative to Tom Wolf — while at the same time also doing everything she can to turn out the woman vote,” said Dan Fee, a veteran of former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell’s gubernatorial campaign.