democrats have made their view clear. that pat toomey, the republican senator from pennsylvania must go. now katie mcbeginty wants a shot at making that happen. >> i'm running to become your united states senator. >> she's backed by power house senators, but she'll have to beat out two other candidates for the nomination. >> welcome. katie mcginty is running to unseat pat toomey. in the presidential race she is supporting hillary clinton. but for her chance at a senate

seat in washington, she'll have to first defeat two other candidates, s fetterman remains relatively unknown in that this side of the seat. he endorsed bernie sanders early. joe sestak is also running. he angered party leaders by taking on arlen speck tar. he has not endorsed either clinton or sanders. the winner takes on pat toomey. toomey backs rubio calling him a thoughtful conservative leader who will appeal to voters in the keystone state. a recent poll finds nearly two-thirds of the registered democrats still don't have an opinion of the primary hopefuls. for those who have a favorite,

setak leads, mcginty, and then fetterman. there's a margin of error of 5%. joining me is katie mcginty. thank you for joining me. we're going to talk about your views and campaign, but first let's get background. she was born in the northeast to a philadelphia police officer and a restaurant hostess. she worked as an adviser to president obama on the environment. you may recall she was a governor primary candidate. she later became wolfe's chief of staff. you have already run a statewide race. tell me why you want to do this again. >> well, first of all, what you do learn is that pennsylvania is a very big state. but we're a great state with so much promise in the arts and technology, in manufacturing.

and families out there are saying just give us a shot. give us a decent education. give us the chance to have affordable health care. put us in, coach, and we'll compete, succeed, and win. i'm in this race to fight for and work with those hard working families. >> are there parts of the state or issues that maybe you didn't spend as much time on last time running for governor than now running for senate you'll spend more time on? >> i think we've all seen the issues of health care take front and center as we still have health care costs that need to be reigned in and taken down. on the other hand, i'm going to fight hard to say when we expand medicaid as we did in this state, and i was proud to lead that effort, pennsylvanians getting coverage and saving tax dollars. pat toomey is trying to repeal that. that's a big issue in this race. >> this is a year where

outsiders are really getting a lot of attention. bernie sanders, donald trump, you have been in government for a long time. so how do you make your case? >> well, listen, i think two things are important to people. first, that the average person wants to know that someone has their back. it's the squeaky wheels, the special interests in washington that have been getting ahead while hard working families have found themselves coming further and further behind. i'm the first of my family to go to college and i know what that's about, to be a family where every day counts, every dollar counts, and that's a voice that i will be in washington. the second is that people want to see people cut through it, get it done, and i have a long track record working in washington as well as here, working with republicans, finding common ground and achieving important milestones on things like safe drinking water which all you have to do is look at flint, michigan, and

know that's a priority. we need people who can bridge the difference and get things done. >> you mentioned nine of ten kids. you have kids of your own. is this a family affair? >> it is. when you think about how important education is and for me, the quality of your education shouldn't have anything to do with your zip code. we have beautiful, bright, young kids in every part of this commonwealth fighting for good schools. making sure we're enabling our kids to get off to a good start. i know as a mother, that's absolutely critical. we've seen in the schools that my own children have attended, first of all, excessive amounts of testing. that comes from washington. washington needs to back off a little bit on the standardized tests. i'll be a voice for that. but also things like universal pre-k so kids have a great start to identify and develop their own god given talents and gifts.

>> i want to ask you about an appearance recently you had with your democratic opponents. you've taken some heat for your response on this. it was a question about money and endorsements from various organizations, including the oil and gas industry. you said no, you have not accepted any, but some have called that untrue. there's even an ad out by one of your competitors about that. let's quickly take a listen to a little bit of thatápenn ad. >> no. >> thank you very much. >> really? >> yeah. now listen, people, let me tell you some news. >> that was an ad with a little bit of your response there. i did look up your finances. you did get a contribution from the vice president for policy and strategy at the american gas association. how do you explain your answer? do you feel you were perfectly transparticipan transparent? >> i do not have endorsements or

pac money from the drillers -- >> they asked about money, not pac money. >> they did, and i do not have money from the dirillers and fracking organization. every one of us knows people who work in and around the energy rector and each of us have support from people in and around the energy sector. i'm the only person in this race that has regulated that industry. when i was secretary of environmental protection, we had the strongest regulations in the country regulating the energy industry, and i'm very proud in this race to be the candidate that's been endorsed by the league of conservation and other leading environmental groups. i have always been a champion for the toughest environmental protections, but also fighting against the myth that somehow if you protect the environment you hurt jobs and the economy. nothing else could be further from the truth, and so that's who i am in this race and who i will be as a senator making sure that we have the toughest

environmental and public health protections. we do it in a way that grows jobs. >> do you not consider the contributions to be from the oil and gas industry? >> every one of us in this race has support from individuals who work in and around the energy sector. i do as well. and i'm very proud that i have support also from the leading players in the solar industry, the wind industry, energy efficiency. and i'm the only candidate in this race for whom those players who want to see a clean energy future, they're getting in. they have any back in this race, because when i was secretary, we put a priority on becoming a clean energy leader, and i am proud to say that at the end of my tenure, pennsylvania was number one in the country in wind energy jobs and number three in the country in solar energy jobs. those are great opportunities for us to grow good, family sustaining jobs in a clean and

growing industry. >> do you feel that your answer at that event was clear? >> absolutely. and as i said, every one of us in this race has support from folks who work in and around the energy industry q, but i'm the only person who enjoys the universal support from the leading conservation industry in the united states. >> money does matter. in a race as big as this one, pat toomey has raised five times or more what you've raised at this point. how, if you are the nominee for ì% combat that? >> i am quite confident that we'll have the team and the resources to share our message, but the message is really clear. while i'm a person who is going to fight every day for middle class families who have gotten squeezed, unfortunately, pat toomey has made life much harder for those families in pennsylvania. he's fought against dollars for our schools. he's fought against college

affordability. in a state like pennsylvania where we have a great population of senior citizens, he's actually leading the charge to privatize social security, get rid of medicare. those aren't the right direction for our families. and in me, they'll have someone who has their back. >> i want to talk a little bit about hillary clinton. i know you are supporting her. one thing that at this point she has had some trouble with, it appears, is connecting with some women, especially young women. any thoughts on that? does that surprise you? >> listen, it's still early on in this whole contest, and i do think that hillary will deliver her message and connect and be successful in this campaign. but i do think that young women want to see what many people want to see, and that is if you're willing to work hard in this country, you have a shot to

get ahead, the opportunities will be there for you. and i think that's the leadership that i aim to bring. i think that is what we need to grow our economy and to move people forward. you know, i was with a young woman in pittsburgh just a few weeks ago, and she's working two jobs and trying to raise a five-year-old son on her own. that's a person who needs to be paid a decent living wage. that's a person who brings it home while equal pay for equal work is so important. so that she can, yes, do a great job but be able to provide for herself and her son and take care of her family. and i think that's what young women like so many other people will and are responding to. >> if hillary clinton does not win the nomination, if it is bernie sanders, would you campaign with him here in pennsylvania? >> listen, i think senator sanders has raised some very, very important issues.

and i do think that he is touching a nerve with people who, again, see that it seems like the squeaky wheels always get the grease. it seems like the playing field has been tilted against the average person so much. so i will stand with the standard bearer for our party who is articulating a message like that that is simply middle class, it is your turn to get a chance to succeed and get ahead. that's what's critical. and, you know, it's critical to the future of our country, because what has built this community, the commonwealth and our country is that middle class that works hard, that raises their families, and then does things like volunteer at the library, volunteer with the boy scouts and girl scouts. those are the people that bring our communities alive. and so it's in all of our interests that those families have a chance to get ahead. >> don't go away. we'll have more coming up.

we'll take a break and have more when we come back. >> katie mcgi

relationship with tom wolfe in a campaign ad. welcome back to nbc 10 at issue. mcginty has to beat out two other democrats in the primary. if she does, she'll take on pat toomey. back with us is katie mcginty. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> let's talk a little bit about your time in harrisburg as governor wolfe's chief of staff. right now the state is without a full budget. when you left this summer, it was already late at that point

by at least a couple of weeks. so why were you and governor wolfe not able to get that done with republicans on time? >> well, let me just say i think that the governor's vision and blueprints that he put forward is the right blueprint for pennsylvania. it did two essential things inspect on the one hand, restored funding that is needed in our schools. on the other hand, brought forward some significant cuts in taxes. very significant reduction in the corporate net income tax, taking us from second highest in the country to fourth lowest in the country. and historic cuts in both property taxes as well as here in philadelphia it would have meant a significant cut in the wage tax. that's the blueprint. that's the vision. it's a vision for growth. it's a vision for promise for pennsylvania. you know the old saying, you can

lead a horse to water, you can't make it drink. i think the governor put that vision forward for whatever set the reasons, the legislature has not decided it's time to cut that deal yet. i think as they hear hopefully from voters who say that's common sense, we should do that, that we'll finally see it broken and some progress happening. >> if you were to be successful in your run here, you would have to work with republicans. what did you learn from that experien experience? >> listen, i do think there are plenty of republicans out there, and the governor demonstrated that just before christmas. there was a majority of republicans in the senate and a large number in the house that were ready to go. there were a few holdouts. unfortunately, they were able to bring the process down. but in my own experience, this is something i think is important. i have had the privilege of working in government, but i've also has the privilege of working in business, and so i think part of the reason why

i've been successful in my career in washington and in harrisburg in finding that common ground is that i also know that when we can cut out some of the paperwork, make things less cumbersome, take some of the costs out of come plying with regulations, it's a win/win and a smart thing to do. it's an approach i bring that has enabled me to say we can find common ground on the environment when we make it about jobs. let's put people to work in building clean infrastructure, for example. and it's enabled me to be successful when we took on some of the health care challenges in the early days of the wolfe administration because we were providing health care while cutting costs to taxpayers. with a little per sis -- persistence and creativity, you can get the job done.

>> how do you think your relationship with governor wolfe will affect you? do you think it will be a positive or continue to be blamed for some of the things that have not been accomplished yet? >> listen, i think that the governor is a really fine and principled person. it was my great honor and joy to work with him, and i'd be nothing but honored as he continues to stand by me in this campaign. >> don't go away. we'll be right back with more of our discussion with katie mckinty.

mornings. they're bad breath, bad hair and a bad case of the mondays. and organized wardrobes that help you pull it together. they're showering, shaving, and shuffling. and bathrooms that get big families out the door. they're number ones, number twos, and a number of ideas for three. life's morning madness. and comfortable, organized bed and bathrooms that make them better.

welcome back. as we continue our conversation with pennsylvania senate hopeful katie mcgincginty. thank you so much for being with us today. >> thank you. >> let's talk a little bit about something you have a lot of background in. environment and energy.

what should the future of fracking be in pennsylvania in. >> first and foremost what we see in the budget battle in pennsylvania shows it's not fair for the fracking companies to pay their fair share. we need to regulate and zone it. i don't think we've done enough yet with respect to protecting air, protecting water. there are valuable resources and invaluable resources. energy is valuable, but clean air, clean water, and the health of our kids are invaluable. i think there's more that we should do to make sure we have the toughest regulations. i certainly think it's time for the exxon mobils and the other fracking companies to pay their fair share, and i think we always want to make sure that citizen's voices are heard in the discussions when it comes to the regulations and zoning of an industry like fracking.

>> you would be new in washington. what would you be able to do? what role would you be able to play to get those things done? >> some pieces of this are federal law. for example, right now, and there's just no justification for this, the oil and gas industry enjoys loopholes. one is called the halliburton loophole. that means these companies don't comply with clean water and clean drinking water regulations like other industries do. there's no reason for that. i would work to close that federal loophole. there are other initiatives that need to be taken like requiring some of the chemicals and other things used in the process to be fully disclosed. bob casey has been a leader on these issues. pat toomey has opposed him in that protection, but i'd be a partner with senator casey in moving forward in these important directions. >> these are things you have a

lot of knowledge and background in. as a senator, there would be other things you don't as much experience in, for example, foreign policy. tell me how you're preparing for that. >> i believe i bring a lot to the foreign policy agenda. i have lived and worked overseas. my earliest days in my career were in helping to negotiate international agreements around global issues. the heart of your question goes to the complex issues that a united states senator faces and the question is whether you have the ability to work through, to identify who the key sources of expertise are in any difficult issue, to be able to wrestle through and find where some common sense strategy might be. that's what i have done on a broad array of issues throughout my career, and i bring to it a background in law. i also was a chemist before i

went to law school. science and technology being a very critical part of many issues that we face. it's about wrestling through that variety of issues. knowing who you can turn to and showing good judgment to get the job done. >> thank you so much. thank you for your time and your views today. we appreciate it. what you need to know to vote in the upcoming primary when we come back.

welcome back to nbc 10. the 2016 pennsylvania primary is on april 26th. it's a closed primary meaning only people who have registered with a party may vote. the last day to register to vote is march 28th. a photo i.d. is not required in pennsylvania. that's it for this edition of

nbc 10 at issue. have a great sunday and a happy valentine's day.

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