Nov 12, 2003 By Paul Sunyak 8 min read

In a Democrat bastion like Fayette County, what does it mean when the two Democrat candidates for county commissioner gather only 525 more votes than their two Republican counterparts? That’s exactly what happened Nov. 4, when Democrats Vincent A. Vicites and J. William Lincoln got a combined 27,069 votes, while Republicans Joe Hardy and Angela M. Zimmerlink got 26,544.

Bigwigs in both parties are trying to decipher those results, which represent an anomaly of huge proportions, considering the county has 61,053 registered Democrats and 20,026 registered Republicans.

In the afterglow of a general election where voters elected the two Republicans over Lincoln – a well-known Democrat stalwart who’d never lost an election in 25 years – GOP chairman Christopher D. L. Sepesy sees evidence of a two-party system taking stronger root.

Sepesy points to other inroads, such as the prior election of a Republican mayor in Fairchance Borough and the added territory given Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster in redistricting, as proof that the “lion’s share of momentum” coming out of this election rests with the GOP.

“I think the (Republican) message is resonating louder and louder and more clearly each year, with a lot of these voters,” Sepesy said. “I think the Herald-Standard was very, very much on the mark (editorially) when they recognized that a younger voting class is emerging, for whom political patronage and old machine-style politics means virtually nothing.

“I (also) think there were some older voters who were just sick and tired of the old ways. …I can guarantee you that when gains are made (in the next four years), and they’re going to be credited to the two fine commissioners (Hardy and Zimmerlink) that we have, that people are going to be switching over.”

Sepesy said that while the two Republican commissioners-elect won office using “exceptionally disparate paths,” their self-financed campaigns give each of them an independence from campaign contributors that bodes well for sound decision-making.

“Basically, Joe Hardy didn’t need anyone’s money, and Angela Zimmerlink didn’t take anyone’s money,” Sepesy said. He added that one positive offshoot of that is each of them could hire based on merit and ability, rather than “the fact that they (job applicants) may be someone’s cousin or the child of a large contributor.”

Sepesy said he thinks voters will find that approach refreshing and will further embrace the GOP, especially when they start seeing that policy decisions are made “towards the benefit of the county rather than for the benefit of someone’s own political viability, or groups attached to that.”

Kim Ward, Hardy’s campaign manager, also sees evidence of a surging Republican Party in the wins by Hardy and Zimmerlink. Ward said the outcome proves that strong GOP candidates can compete and win, even though Democrats hold a 3-1 voter registration advantage.

“It just means that Fayette County voters, if given a real choice in the selection of their next office holder, are leaving the party line and are thinking about what values and issues are important to them – and who the person who best represents that is,” Ward said. “(This election) bodes well for other Republicans looking to represent Fayette County. It could be a signal that machine politics are a thing of the past.”

While Fayette County Democrat Party Chairman Fred L. Lebder could not be reached for comment and has remained largely incognito since Lincoln’s defeat, the Democrat who bested Hardy and Zimmerlink at the polls said it’s premature to write off his party.

Vincent A. Vicites, the current commission chairman who won election to a third term, dismisses talk of a Republican revolution sweeping the county. Vicites said that while “a variety of reasons … a lot of different combinations of things” led to Democrats’ loss of the majority, he thinks the party will rebound.

“I think the future is bright for the Democrat Party here in Fayette County,” Vicites said. “We have some very dedicated elected officials in the county who work hard for the people. …The election’s over and now we have to look to the future.”

For Vicites, that future involves a redoubling of efforts to make his party stronger – including his own plan to be “very active” in that regard, working with state Sen. Richard A. Kasunic (D-Dunbar) and other party officials through the county.

Vicites also sees a need for Democrats to reach out to younger people who can bring some “enthusiasm” to the mix. He said the Fayette Future PAC, headed by Vincent Tiberi and geared to recruit voters in the 18-to-30 age bracket, represents a move in that direction.

“I think there is room for improvement and that process begins now,” said Vicites. “(Kasunic) and I have a good working relationship. I respect him highly and he respects me. We’re going to work together. …I think there is a desire (within the party) to do better next time. I think we will if we work together.”

Vicites said he could not speak for Lebder, whose current term as party chairman runs through 2005. “I have not spoken to him since the election. I can’t speak for him,” Vicites said.

Although he mounted an all-out campaign to help get fellow Democrat Lincoln elected, Vicites said he was neither surprised nor stunned that the former state senator was rejected by voters. Vicites said polling figures showed it was a tight race, even for himself.

“I had a good feel that it was a very close election,” Vicites said. “I worked very hard to the very end. I was very grateful that I was the top vote getter (by 1,300 over Hardy). When I get involved in something I give 110 percent.”

Statewide political expert G. Terry Madonna, a professor at Millersville University, said that while Lincoln’s defeat came as a big surprise, the presence of a mega-millionaire such as Hardy likely skewered the entire political climate.

Madonna, who serves as director of his university’s Center for Politics and Public Affairs, said it remains to be seen whether a real shift to the GOP is under way in Fayette.

“At the moment this is a victory of one man (Hardy) under an unusual set of circumstances,” said Madonna. “The real big question is whether it can be replicated … (but) I don’t think this augers well for a major (political party) realignment in the county at all.”

Madonna said that someone of Hardy’s huge financial stature usually runs for a higher office such as U.S. representative or senator, not the comparatively low-profile job of county commissioner.

While admitting that only sophisticated polling could accurately pinpoint what factors played into voters’ minds, Madonna put forth three possible rationales:

? The “change-oriented” campaign run by Hardy, which was built on a “pretty general” platform but was able to generate a high level of excitement about bringing in jobs and fostering economic growth. “It may be that Hardy ran on his own, but it may be that he also created a ‘change environment’ that made voters look at anyone but the old boys,” said Madonna.

? The residual effect of the bruising Democrat primary, which saw incumbents Sean M. Cavanagh and Ronald M. Nehls endorsing Republicans after their defeats. “The Democrat primary obviously left some bad blood that played out in a general election. In a close race, Lincoln felt the wrath of that insurgency or discontent,” theorized Madonna.

??That voters rejected the Democratic Party leadership, although Madonna is least certain of this tenet. He said there are always divisions and splits within political parties, and that voters tend to assign impact to them, but in the end “most voters are looking at the candidates and what they are going to do.”

Still, Madonna said that Lincoln’s defeat resonated loudly. “I tell you, I was shocked. As an outsider who has followed his career, I was surprised. …I didn’t expect him to lose. He was a major player in state politics for years,” Madonna said.

“You’ve got to wonder: What happened? Was it just a ‘cut Lincoln’ (strategy) by some Democrats … or was Hardy helping his Republican counterpart even though he didn’t campaign for her?”

In recent history, Madonna said that Republicans won a majority of commission seats in Washington County and won the chief executive slot in Allegheny County, only to see Democrats rebound in the following elections. He said such “idiosyncratic” events don’t necessarily represent a political revolution, which occurs only when a party starts winning races regularly at all levels.

“It sounds to me that this is a one-person revolution. You take over a county in a series of races that you win consistently,” Madonna said. “Is Hardy dedicated to rebuilding the Republican Party from the grassroots? If not, then they’ve got a showcase Republican.”

For Lebder and the Democrats, though, Madonna said it’s time to re-evaluate in the wake of defeat. “It means you’ve got to rethink things. Whenever you get a sense that there’s a revolution under way, you’ve got to change or get run over by it,” Madonna said.