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4 min read

There was a changing of the guard recently in the Fayette County Democratic Party, with Uniontown attorney James. T. Davis replacing chairman Fred Lebder, who had served for 45 years in the post.

Meanwhile, there’s also been a change in the Fayette County Republican Party with David Show being elected recently to the post of committee chairman.

However, unlike Davis, who praised Lebder for his many years of service, Show was critical of his predecessors.

Show said he and other like-minded constitutional conservatives formed the Fayette Patriots — a tea party group, several years ago because the Republican Party in Fayette County wasn’t doing its job.

“(The Fayette Patriots) was formed after it was found that the (prior) Republican committee was not a group of constitutional conservatives,” said Show.

Show said he’s aware that Democrats outnumber Republicans by about a 2.5- to-1 margin in Fayette County, but surmised that local residents are actually more conservative than liberal in their beliefs. He said as long as the party adheres to its beliefs, they’ll be able to bring Democrats to their side.

Republicans have been making some headway in national and statewide races here. President Barack Obama, a Democrat, lost Fayette County in both of his campaigns. That was the first time Fayette County had voted for a Republican president since Richard Nixon won here in 1972. In 2010, Republicans Tom Corbett and Pat Toomey won Fayette County in their bids for governor and U.S. Senate, respectively.

With Corbett up for re-election this November, job one for Show will be to get Fayette County to support him again. While Democrat Tom Wolf is ahead in all the polls, Show is confident that Fayette County voters will eventually support the governor in his re-election bid. It will be a test for Show as Corbett must certainly win Fayette County as well as other neighboring counties in southwestern Pennsylvania to turn back Wolf.

Show also faces a challenge in trying to help Pat Stefano in his race for the 32nd District of the state Senate against state Rep. Deberah Kula, D-North Union Township.

Noting Obama’s weak showing in the district last year and the fact that there’s not an incumbent in the race, the statewide Republican Party is expected to spend a lot of money on Stefano’s behalf. However, Democrats are trying to gain control of the state Senate and will be making an all-out push themselves to try and keep the seat, which has been held by a Democrat for as long as anyone can remember.

But the biggest long-term challenge for Show will be to get Republicans on ballots in local races. All too often in the past, the biggest elections have come in Democratic primaries, with the winners coasting to uncontested victories in November. This fall, state Reps. Tim Mahoney, D-South Union Township, and Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, will be running uncontested, as no Republicans are challenging them.

Victories on the national and statewide level are great, but the litmus test will come in local elections if the Fayette County Republican Party is to become a viable entity. First, Show will have to encourage and support candidates to run, and then he’ll have to guide them to victory. It’s a formidable task, but Show seems up for the challenge.

We’ve said for numerous years that Fayette County would be better much off with a true two-party system, especially on the local level. For years, local Democrats have been able to do pretty much anything they wanted without any opposition. Democracy functions much better when Democrats and Republicans are keeping a sharp eye out for each other’s faults. Let’s hope that with Show as committee chairman, the Republicans will be energized and become a force in Fayette County’s politics.

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