Pennsylvania Rep. Patty Kim, a five-term Democratic incumbent who represents Harrisburg in the state House of Representatives, is toying with the idea of running for lieutenant governor.
Kim, 48, said she has spoken with Democratic gubernatorial frontrunner Josh Shapiro about being his running mate.
“It’s just something I think I would enjoy doing,” Kim said.
Shapiro, who is in the middle of his second and final term as state attorney general, announced his bid for the Democratic nomination for governor on Wednesday.
“This is something I’ve been looking at for awhile,” Kim said. “Having Josh run as governor was one of my big motivations. I think it’s something that we can work as a team well.”
Kim said she expects to make her decision known about whether she will pursue this higher office after the Nov. 2 election.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Kim is on Shapiro’s short list of potential ticket mates. Two other possibilities are two other Democratic state representatives: Brian Sims of Philadelphia and Austin Davis of Allegheny County.
Kim wouldn’t have to worry about one aspect of the job that other lieutenant governor candidates might have to consider: where to live. A law that took effect last year turned over the residence where past lieutenant governors have lived in Fort Indiantown Gap to the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, taking away that perk that came with the second-in-command position.
Kim already has a house near the Capitol that she shares with her husband, John Sider, and two children.
Prior to joining the state House in 2013 to represent portions of Dauphin County, Kim, a former television reporter and anchor, served on Harrisburg City Council for two terms.
Since coming to the House, she has led the charge in the House for an increase in the state’s $7.25 minimum hourly wage that has remained flat for the past 15 years.
Kim was instrumental in the passage of legislation to remove Harrisburg from Act 47, a state program for financially distressed municipalities, and in bringing a chief recovery officer in to help the embattled Harrisburg School District
Among other initiatives, she championed second-chance legislation to expunge criminal records for non-violent offenders who stayed crime-free. That part of her legislative record, she said, “would be helpful for a lieutenant governor especially when he or she is overseeing the Board of Pardons.”
She added she is undecided at this point as to whether she would simultaneously run for re-election to her House seat.
Gov. Tom Wolf is in the midst of his second and final term. State law bars governors from serving more than two terms.
Shapiro has been widely known to be planning a campaign for governor and no other prominent Democrats have announced intentions to run. A host of Republicans have launched or are considering campaigns for governor.
Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
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