PHILADELPHIA — Democrats running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania spend a lot of time talking about why they're the candidate who can win the state in a general election. They also tout such policy priorities as voting rights and helping working families. But there's significantly less discussion of policy differences.
That's typical of a partisan primary, where arguments about political viability resonate with more engaged voters. Rhetorical style and choices about which policies to emphasize can magnify differences that are often minimal and sometimes nonexistent.
"It's a reflection of the incredibly partisan moment we're in," said Chris Borick, a pollster and political scientist at Muhlenberg College in Allentown. "Electing a Republican, for a lot of Democrats, is simply not acceptable. So you start focusing on the other key matter: electability."
