Usually the summer before the November election, rumors about what’s going to happen in the following primary start emerging.  Maybe that’s the nature of politics everywhere, maybe it’s unique to this area.  Regardless, it happens.  Because of both redistricting and having a delegation to the General Assembly that’s full of freshmen, we have a lot of races on our hands next year.

Being a proud West Sider, I thought I’d take a look at the 113th district first, since the internicine conflict will playout in my backyard, basically.

Marty Flynn is a freshman.  He won by only a few hundred votes and that means challengers smell blood in the water.  So who are they?

Borys pointed them all out, actually, so you can get more info from Random Notes, but I want to put in my two cents.  Why not?

The most credible threat will be Pat O’Malley for sure.  He’s from West Side, which is the biggest section of the district geographically and in terms of population (hence this post’s title).  He puts on about a dozen annual community events that bear his name and people appreciate his contributions to charity and the neighborhood.  But he’s a Republican and I’m not sure how a Republican wins, given the demographics.  Easy!  Switch to Democrat.

A head-to-head would be a fight for an incumbent.  But there are two other names circulating that would dilute the pool.

Tim Ferguson is from Minooka originally but has lived for many years in the St. Ann’s section of West Side.  That would mean three West Side residents vying for the job.

Which is why we have a North Scranton resident, Tommy Tell, former Chief-of-Staff to Kevin Murphy, as a rumored candidate as well.  He is busy with his new pub, Thirst T’s, up in the Midvalley, but maybe he will take some time off to try to peel off North Scranton votes.  The logic would be simple: let the West Siders split West Side, and walk in with North Scranton.

What’s going to happen?  It’s too early to tell.  But the more candidates that jump in, the easier it’ll be for the incumbent, methinks.

Marty has wasted no time prepping for a fight, though.  Here’s his first commercial, which features former First Lady of Scranton Susie Connors and Scranton School Director Cy Douaihy: