HARRISBURG — Gov. Tom Wolf announced Thursday that his secretary of legislative affairs, Mary Isenhour, will succeed outgoing chief of staff Katie McGinty, who is considering a run for the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Isenhour, 56, served as a campaign adviser for Mr. Wolf before joining his government staff. The governor, speaking at a Capitol news conference, said his new top aide “really understands how the politics of this place actually works.” Ms. Isenhour, for her part, said she hopes to build upon a foundation set by Ms. McGinty.
The change at the top of the governor’s staff comes with Pennsylvania more than three weeks into a budget impasse, after Mr. Wolf, a Democrat, vetoed a Republican-crafted spending plan that sidestepped his legislative priorities.
Aides to leaders of the House and Senate Republican majorities praised the selection of Ms. Isenhour.
“She has made strong efforts to meet not only the legislative leaders but members and staff,” said Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Republicans. “And when there are issues or concerns, she not only listens but hears you and tries to rectify the problem.”
Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, R-Centre, had criticized Ms. McGinty for what he said was an adversarial manner. On Thursday, his spokeswoman, Jennifer Kocher, sounded a more positive note about Ms. Isenhour.
“She’s worked well with the Legislature so far,” Ms. Kocher said. “We’re hopeful she will be more effective than McGinty was. We’re hopeful she won’t be quite as divisive.”
Democrats in Harrisburg and beyond took to Twitter to congratulate Ms. Isenhour.
She began her career working for the Kansas House of Representatives, where she served as chief of staff to the Democratic leader, according to the governor’s office. In the late 1990s, she was national political director for the Washington, D.C.-based Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee. In 1999, she became executive director of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Campaign Committee. She later served as executive director of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and was state director for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign.
At a news conference announcing the change in staff, Ms. McGinty acknowledged she is leaving the governor’s office to consider a run for office, though she would not say that she will seek the Democratic nomination to challenge U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016. Retired Adm. Joe Sestak is the only Democrat currently in the race.
“I am resigning in order to give due and appropriate consideration to potentially a U.S. Senate run, potentially other public service,” Ms. McGinty said.
Mr. Wolf praised Ms. McGinty’s work, saying he had asked her to join his team after being impressed with her work when he and she served in the Rendell administration and again when both sought the Democratic nomination for governor last year.
“She was everything I hoped she would be,” he said.
“She helped organize this office. She brought the intense skills that she had.”
Will Danowski, who was executive deputy secretary of legislative affairs, will serve as acting secretary, said Jeffrey Sheridan, spokesman for the governor.
First Published: July 23, 2015, 3:40 p.m.
Updated: July 23, 2015, 4:24 p.m.
