Big money is backing a threat to Brady (Obama team at work vs Hillary in PA)

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | Fri, Nov. 23, 2007 | Marcia Gelbart

[americaprd]

While U.S. Rep. Bob Brady has escaped any serious election threat since 2000, his blowout loss in the spring's Democratic mayoral primary led to rumblings that his Teflon may be eroding. Now comes a political newcomer, physician Keith Leaphart, to test that notion.

Leaphart no doubt would face a formidable task in unseating the five-term congressman in April's primary. But the 32-year-old African American, who'd be challenging the only white House member representing a mostly black district, has some equally formidable financial backing.

On Dec. 6, two major Philadelphia philanthropists - H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest and Peter L. Buttenwieser - are scheduled to cochair a fund-raiser for Leaphart at the Philadelphia Loews Hotel.

The event will be a first for the powerful pair; they hadn't met before February, but now are united in promoting Leaphart's possible candidacy.

"Keith is a man of deep integrity and intelligence. He thinks he can represent his community in an honest, straightforward way, and do something more than is being done by the current congressman," Lenfest said in an interview this week.

He met Leaphart in 1999 when Leaphart, then completing his first year of school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, opened a janitorial company whose major client was Lenfest's Suburban Cable. While Leaphart cleaned Lenfest's executive office nearly every day, they developed "a mutual respect," Leaphart said.

Over the years, Lenfest has directed millions of dollars from his cable-TV fortune to local cultural institutions and educational causes. But other than donating money to a variety of local and national candidates, he has not been politically active.

So to help Leaphart, he turned to Buttenwieser, a prominent national fund-raiser who mostly focuses on electing Democrats to the U.S. Senate.

"My primary interest was that Mr. Lenfest is a pretty major figure in this city, and he's begun to take an interest in politics, which he had not before," said Buttenwieser, who lives in Chestnut Hill. "As somebody who is very interested in expanding the network of people interested in progressive politics, I said I would help."

The extent of their personal financial help, however, is restrained by federal campaign caps that limit donors to no more than $2,300 apiece.

Both men described their support of Leaphart as being less about dissatisfaction with Brady than "opening up opportunities for somewhat younger people," as Buttenwieser put it.

Leaphart was raised in West Oak Lane by a single mother who, he said, valued education. After graduating from Hampton University in Virginia, he enrolled in medical school and simultaneously obtained a master's in business administration from St. Joseph's University.

He founded Rainmakers, an organization that aims to provide young black professionals a forum in which to grow socially, economically and politically.

For a time, he also worked as an event planner, booking high-end parties at the Kimmel Center and the National Constitution Center for celebrities such as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs, Allen Iverson and Donovan McNabb.

Currently, Leaphart works part-time evening shifts at Bryn Mawr Rehabilitation Hospital.

"This is not an anti-Bob Brady thing," Leaphart said. "This is about whether we can change the conditions in the congressional district for the better."

The First District covers much of central Philadelphia east of Broad Street and a small portion of southeastern Delaware County. In the last census count, its population was 45 percent black, 40 percent white, and 15 percent Hispanic.

A spokesman for Curtis Jones' successful City Council campaign this year, Leaphart also said Michael Nutter's election as mayor was "very encouraging to me. He was well-qualified but had no traditional political base."

In the summer, Leaphart formed an exploratory committee and is raising money. He declined to say how much he has collected.

Records show Brady had nearly $600,000 as of Oct. 4, though Brady said Tuesday that the figure was closer to $1 million after several fund-raising events.

"Look, he's allowed to run. It's America," said Brady, who has chaired the city's Democratic Party for 20 years.

As the recently named chairman of the House Administration Committee, Brady has a new leverage with his colleagues - something he did not hesitate to point out as helpful to Philadelphia and his district. "Everybody in the world comes to me for everything you can imagine. The [House] speaker needed a favor or two already."

Though Leaphart said he would make no decision about his entry in the race until mid-January, he is in some ways already in campaign mode. His Web site, www.drkeithleaphart.com, has been up since summer. And he has shown up at events such as Congressional Black Caucus weekend in Washington and the City Hall memorial service for slain Philadelphia Police Officer Chuck Cassidy.

"There's no question a credible African American candidate could really create a challenge to Brady in his district," said Berwood Yost, director of the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin and Marshall College. "But I don't think we should underestimate the existing relationships he has. As an old-fashioned urban politician, he knows his district, and he pays attention to it."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Contact staff writer Marcia Gelbart at 215-854-2338 or mgelbart@phillynews.com.

[americaprd]

Know thy enemy...

I thought this was interesting just to those monitoring the internal workings of the Democrat campaigns. Buttenwieser is a huge liberal fundraiser/bundler who is solidly behind Obama.

I suspect this effort is part of an Obama strategy to get out the black vote in Philly in the primary election.

It would also force Congressman Brady, who is the Democratic Party chairman in Philly to split his attention between the Presidential race (he is rumored to be supporting Hillary) and his own Congressional race.

Very devious...