The crowded field for U.S. Senate in PA just shrank. Why Democrat Val Arkoosh dropped out
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Montgomery County Board of Commissioner Chair Dr. Val Arkoosh has dropped out of the U.S. Senate race and will instead focus her efforts to elect a Democrat to the seat.
"My name may not be on the ballot, but make no mistake, I will still be fighting every day to help win this election," Arkoosh said in a statement. "There’s too much at stake. I said from the beginning we would build a campaign about Pennsylvanians and for Pennsylvanians, and I will keep fighting for Pennsylvanians each and every day.”
When reached for comment, Arkoosh spokeswoman Rachel Petri confirmed the decision and said while Arkoosh is supporting Democrats' efforts in this race, she has not and will not endorse any candidate.
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Arkoosh, a physician who holds a master's degree in public health, said health care will remain a cause.
"I’ve heard concerns from child care workers about how critical tackling our child care crisis is to our entire economy. I have met with families impacted by fracking and the climate crisis hurting Pennsylvania communities, and I’ve listened to the stories of Pennsylvania women on just how important it is they have access to abortion care," Arkoosh said. "For each of those Pennsylvanians, we cannot let anything stand in the way of a Democrat being elected to the U.S. Senate. The stakes are just too high.
"And it’s become clear to me that the best way I can ensure that happens is to suspend my campaign today and commit to doing whatever I can to help ensure we flip this Senate seat in November."
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Arkoosh's exit still leaves a number of Democrats on the ticket, according to the Federal Election Commission, including front-runner Lt. Gov. John Fetterman; state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, of Philadelphia; U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb, of Allegheny County; Montgomery County businessman John David McGuigan; Philadelphia physician Kevin Baumlin; and state Sen. Sharif Street, of Philadelphia.
The primary election is May 17.
Likewise, more than a dozen Republican candidates have declared for the primary, including Montgomery County residents Kathy Barnette, Jeff Bartos, Sean Gale and Dr. Mehmet Oz; Cumberland County's Carla Sands; Philadelphia attorney George Bochetto; and businessman David McCormick.
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Arkoosh's campaign had $1,223,829.86 cash-on-hand as of last reporting, which occurred on Dec. 31.
That sum put Arkoosh far behind Fetterman ($5,323,475.37) and Lamb ($3,018,484.98), making it difficult for Arkoosh to wage an effective statewide campaign, said Dr. Terry Madonna, a veteran pollster and co-founder of the Franklin and Marshall College Center for Opinion Research.
"Looking at the fundraising by some of these other candidates running for Senate, and she was lagging considerably," Madonna said. "Pennsylvania is a huge media state, and a candidate cannot effectively run without at least $2 million. This is a large and complex state with changing demographics.
"And this is not about qualifications nor ability; it's a race that features a huge number of high-profile figures who have raised a large sum of money, and as a result, are able to campaign statewide," Madonna added. "I'm not surprised. You can't have 12-15 candidates and they all file nomination papers. That was never going to happen, and there will be others who drop out that have less name-recognition that Arkoosh has."
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: PA Senate candidate Val Arkoosh of Montgomery County suspends campaign
